


Blue and Hazel

by cassiahalley, mrsgaryrennell



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Crossover, Dorks in Love, Drama, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Romance, Slow Burn, Smoking, Smut, Swearing, and he's exactly what the Villa needed, hope you enjoy reading, in which two MC's enter the Villa, so this is a crossover between two fics, so we added Gary's canon best friend to even the boys and girls numbers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:22:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 183,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23498206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassiahalley/pseuds/cassiahalley, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsgaryrennell/pseuds/mrsgaryrennell
Summary: The Love Island Villa takes an interesting twist when two stunning girls, Minerva and Chloe, enter the show as part of the original cast. With now six gorgeous girls looking to couple up and find their ideal partner, another boy is also selected to even the numbers, who turns out to be none other than Gary’s best mate, Dicky, a full-on bad boy who’s never been in love.This is a multichapter crossover between ‘Left Me in Pieces’ and ‘The Villa’s Star-Crossed Lovers’.
Relationships: Dicky/Main Character (Love Island), Gary/Main Character (Love Island), Jason "Dicky" Emsworth/Main Character (Love Island), Original Character/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 98





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello beautiful people✧･ﾟ: * this is the prologue of our first collab, an AU in which both of our MCs enter the Villa. we will be writing the entire game, with lots of twists, fluff and drama, and with the addition of an amazing original male character we are sure you will love♥ we hope you enjoy reading it and see you next chapter✿  
> -cassiahalley.

**Prologue**

**In the Villa – Morning.**

The car comes to a stop and a pair of fit feminine legs hop off the vehicle. Bright honey-coloured eyes take a moment to drink in the paradise-looking Villa. Just scanning the exterior is staggering. “Wow…” She reserves her voice to a quiet whisper. All of this has to be an odd dream, even leaving for the airport has felt like a hallucination. Her thoughts are cut short to hear an upcoming car slowing down.

Another jeep pulls to the Villa. A pair of unbelievably high platforms hit the ground the moment the car stops, one of them slipping immediately.

“Whoops!” an airy and silky voice yelps. “I’m fine!”

Chloe turns to see a petite, brunette girl, who is just standing up after having fallen to the ground, with her arms extended at either side of her body as she recovers her balance. The cellist’s gaze scans the new Islander up and down.

She’s about the same height as Chloe, although she's also wearing the biggest and chunkiest platforms she's ever seen, so she must definitely be shorter. Her figure is really dainty and lean, with small curves shaping her body. Wavy brunette hair falls to her shoulders, a pair of light blue sunglasses at the top of her head. Huge, bright cobalt eyes and incredibly large eyelashes bat as she attempts to shake off the embarrassment of almost falling, trying to play it cool. The young woman also has a delicate button nose and a few freckles making a path from one cheekbone to another, and her puffy lips upturned into a soft smile. The colour of her light pink bikini matches the rosy shade of her cheekbones and contrasts with the rest of her milky-white skin.

Despite her initial slip, she carries herself with ease towards Chloe, “Hey!”

The young musician keeps her widened eyes on the newcomer’s grand entrance. She’s trying really hard to keep her amused smile from growing but the freckled girl definitely has left an interesting impression. Chloe approaches the clumsy young woman and gives her a warm smile, “Hi! I’m Chloe, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Minerva, but you can call me Minni,” she responds. “You’ve got such a pretty name, by the way.”

The blue-eyed girl manages to perfectly disguise her sudden worry. As soon as she sees the other Islander, the first thing that comes to her mind is _okay, I’m screwed_.

The younger looking girl takes some time to analyse her fellow Islander. She’s got long dark brown locks with organic softened curls. Her hair is arranged in a beautiful side braid that frames the lovely shape of her face and falls perfectly over her shoulder. Chloe’s got striking big hazel orbs that carry a warmth of golden specks around her pupils— they are easy to get lost into. In contrast to Minni, she’s got a bit of a colour to her skin; a light beige tone that reminds anyone of sand. The beautiful woman stands with a natural grace and straight shoulders. She almost gives the impression of a swan. Minni has been told that she is fit before, but now she is not sure if she is up to Chloe’s level.

“Also, let’s forget that I fell to the ground,” Minni winks. “I was so excited that I jumped out of that jeep without thinking it twice.”

Chloe gifts Minni a sincere smile and her prominent cheekbones expose those small dimples, “I hope you’re alright, hun. Although, I wouldn’t be too preoccupied about the fall. In primary school, I had to play as one of the three little pigs. It was my school’s theatre— full of people and right at the centre of the stage, I took a proper tumble down my face the second I entered the stage!” A soft giggle escapes her full lips and sighs at the embarrassing memory.

It’s actually quite sweet and considerate of her to share a relatable story. Minni laughs with Chloe and feels a little better after the incident.

Just then, Minni’s big blue eyes scan the landscape. She is used to being in fancy places, but the tall glass doors that adorn the entrance actually become intimidating, especially considering how short she is. Chloe follows right behind her and both girls remain in a brief silence as they intake the chic aura of the Villa.

“This place is enormous...” Chloe can hear her own sweet vocals travelling in echoes.

Minni’s smile widens, “Do you wanna go and have a look inside?”

The dark-haired cellist nods enthusiastically to the idea and gently pulls her new housemate with her, “Come on, hun!”

They open the huge glass doors, then Chloe’s classy high heels and Minni’s chunky and tall platforms step inside. Both brunettes explore the house with curious expressions, the summery colours and decoration catching their attention right away. Chloe watches the other girl looking light as a feather as she makes her way to a brown wooden door.

“Look at this bedroom!” Minni exclaims as soon as she opens said door.

Both enter and see a large room full of beds, all arranged in a straight line. It’s been some time since the last time Chloe’s had a flatmate, but this was another level of sharing a home. Instantly, she takes a notice at how little privacy she’ll have.

“Oh, wow, hi!” a voice says from behind the two girls. A dark-skinned girl enters the room, sauntering confidently. Once she is close enough, she looks at them up and down, “Those outfits are incredible,” she says with a big smile. “I’m Hope. What are your names?”

Both girls turn around to follow the source of the voice and Hope remains with a grin. Chloe returns the friendly smile, “Hi there! I’m Chloe.”

“And I’m Minerva.”

“It’s so nice to meet you! I can’t believe we’re finally here!” Hope exclaims, checking out the bedroom. “It’s so fresh, but I can’t imagine what it will look like tomorrow. You know we’re all going to get into bed with a guy we just met?” she comments.

“That’s why I’m here,” the blue-eyed girl winks at her, sitting cross-legged in one of the beds. She looks almost innocent, despite her previous flirty remark, which makes Chloe figure out that she must be the youngest out of the three so far.

“Me too, although I’m not going to come out and say that to the guys,” Hope responds. “Obviously I’m looking for something long-term, but it’s been a while since I’ve ever been on a date. If there’s a handsome strong-and-silent type, I don’t know if I’ll want to wait around…”

As Minni thinks of the possibility of meeting new people, she bites her inner lip. She’s not close-minded when it comes to her type on the physical aspect, but there are things she simply is not able to resist: blonds or dark-haired men with light eyes, or beards. Or girly girls, or bold goth girls. She doesn’t tell Hope or Chloe, but she knows that if a person with any of those traits shows up, she won’t be able to wait around either.

Ironically, Chloe doesn’t know if this is even the right place to find a boyfriend. Considering her last relationship was long-term, she’s just been able to recover from it. Attempting to search for an actual relationship here almost seems unrealistic. They’ll only last thirty days and it will surely just remain as a summer romance.

Taking a quick skim of her past relationships, Chloe must admit that she’s seen a trend. The majority of her past men have been the standard tall, dark, and handsome. Working in a theatre never helped, as she’s always surrounded by these attractive chiselled male actors, dancers, and musicians.

The sound of the door clicking open echoes across the room, a voice calling out.

“Hey girls! My name’s Lottie,” a pale, tattooed girl enters with poise. Her hair is light with pink ends, her dark makeup all over the top. She walks over to the three Islanders, hugging each one of them. Once she separates from Chloe, the new girl analyses her with her sight. “You guys are going to be some strong competition,” she comments. Next, she grins and turns to Hope, “Your makeup is amazing. It must take you ages to get ready.”

Pleased, the other girl returns the smile, “Getting my look perfect is really important to me.”

Both brunettes catch Lottie batting her eyelashes in a strange gesture. Then, she turns to Chloe.

“I can see you’ve stuck with the ‘Kim Kardashian’ look.” The pale new Islander humps out a breath, “It’s a good look on you, hun. It’s just a little too basic for me.”

Chloe’s eyebrows slightly lower out of displeasure to her opinion. Funnily enough, she isn’t even wearing that much makeup. She forces a smile to stretch across her mouth, “Thank you, babes. I like to show off my actual features unlike other _girls_ that pack twenty layers of makeup.”

Lottie’s face crinkles with a pout at Chloe’s comeback, but doesn’t say anything else as her look shifts to the other brunette. “You, on the other hand, look like you don’t take too much time in getting ready, babes,” the blonde comments, taking special attention to her glittery eyeshadow and bare-face look. “Either your foundation is not too good or you’re not wearing any. I can see your freckles from here.”

Kind of confused at first by the girl’s comment and considering what she just said to Chloe, Minni blinks a couple of times. Naively, she doesn’t get that Lottie is kind of trying to put them down this early in the game.

“I just go over the top for the big nights, you know?” the blue-eyed responds, an honest smirk in her face. “Which is practically every night” she adds, cheeky.

“We have a party girl here, I see,” Lottie responds. “But yeah, I get that. Sometimes you want to just wear PJs and chill, right? And it’s good to give your skin a break.”

_But I truly never wear foundation_ , Minni thinks of saying, but ends up keeping quiet. She actually likes how her freckles look on her, and, besides, she hates the cakey sensation she gets when wearing too much makeup. She briefly glances at Chloe, who simply shrugs. Cosmetics is a nice treat to have around but when it doesn't involve going out, the cellist loves to take a break from wearing mascara, eyeshadows, and liquid lips. She’s grateful for makeup but is more enthused about her skincare routine.

“I wish I was as brave as Lottie with my look, but I try and keep my style classic because of my work,” Hope comments.

“It’s not just a look to me. I’m a makeup artist, which means going all out is a great way to show off my skill. It’s not exactly the best career to meet boys, though,” Lottie declares, pursing her lips.

Hope nods and turns to Chloe, “Well, I’m sort of the same as you, Hope. I have to keep a natural look for my job. I’m a classical cellist for the National Theatre. I’ve got to keep it consistent, if you know what I mean.”

After listening to her words, Minni beams. By Chloe’s sophisticated look and the elegant way she carries herself, she already was under the impression that she was part of something just as classy on a daily basis. She surely can picture her performing with great talent, in front of an entire crowd of people in a fancy London theatre.

With a gentle smile, the cellist looks at Minni, “What about you, Minni? You look really young. What do you do?”

The girl’s blue eyes brighten. “I’m studying astrophysics at Cambridge University,” she simply answers.

_Astrophysics, huh?_ The minute Chloe learns about Minni’s educational background at a young age already, she gives her an impressed smile. She had the feeling that this blue-eyed girl had an Einstein brain, and now she finds out that she’s attending a quite the prestigious school and thinks her academic field fascinating. The subject has to be far more interesting than Chloe’s academic career at Juilliard School for music.

“Maybe your love will be written in the stars,” Lottie tells her.

Minni is about to reply when she gets distracted by a head peeking around the door.

“Hi! I’m so glad I’m not the first one here,” a red-haired girl exclaims. She approaches them gingerly and hugs each one of them in turn, “I’m Hannah! I guess you guys didn’t hear me come in. Did I miss any good chat?”

“We’re just talking about getting to know the boys. I don’t know about you guys, but it feels like I’ve been single forever,” Hope sighs and sits dramatically next to Minni.

“It’s so nice to hear someone else say that. I thought it was just me,” Hannah speaks.

“Don’t worry, babes. It’s not just you,” the physics student smiles kindly at the new girl. “For me, things never get serious with anyone. Honestly, it’s hard for me to get attached to people. It’s not that I’m afraid of commitment or anything, I just… get bored easily, I guess,” she shrugs.

It can be said that Minni has been lucky and unlucky when it comes to her love life. She has never been in a toxic relationship or had her heart broken before, but she is always the one to break up the relationship in the nicest way possible once she starts feeling that things are not as exciting anymore. She can barely stand hurting people, so she obviously feels bad afterwards, but also moves on quickly and jumps from one short and nice relationship to another. Apparently, it’s an endless cycle she can’t get rid of.

As she listens to the younger girl’s answer, Chloe gets lost in though. When it comes to relationships, she must recognise her preference for long-term relationships. Of course, when single, she’s had the opportunity to have her fun here and there but it’s not the same. Her history with former boyfriends has been standard. When broken up, the cause is due to aspiring different paths for their future but there’s never any bad blood when parting ways. Despite this, her last relationship wasn’t the easiest to let go. Chloe thought she had finally met the perfect man and was looking forward to taking another step into their relationship until she realised how wrong she was for him.

After a few minutes, the conversation between the girls drifts over to the classic ‘Girl Code’ chat, and Chloe can’t help but remember that she has always looked out for her friends when it comes to it, but also knows when it’s fair play. If there’s someone she’s fancied and another girl feels the same way about the bloke, Chloe will make sure to be as direct as possible about her intentions to not cause unnecessary drama. In other words, it’s more of a ‘may the best woman win’ for her.

The physics student keeps mainly quiet as the rest of the girls give their opinions, just commenting that she considers herself a team player, more than just a girls’ girl. In her mind, it’s a girl, a boy or someone who doesn’t identify as such, Minni is always making sure that everyone is okay, which sometimes causes her to get stepped on— and other times she doesn’t even notice her toes are being tread. And far too often she’s been called a people-pleaser, when in reality she’s just looking after those she cares about.

The girl’s chat gets interrupted one more time by the click of heels approaching. A dark blonde girl glides into the room and air-kisses everyone on both cheeks. “Hello ladies, I’m Marisol!”

After a brief greeting, they all finally conclude that they should get the party started already and explore the rest of the Villa. Lottie struts over to the door, then stops in her tracks when a sound comes from one of their phones.

“What was that noise?” Marisol asks.

“I might have an idea…” Lottie smirks. Rapidly, she checks her phone, “Guys! I got a text!”

Hannah jumps on her spot, “Oh my gosh!”

Chloe turns to her side to follow the sound of the phone’s chime. She gives Minni an open smile out of excitement. Next to her, Minni’s blue eyes illuminate as she beams.

“Here we go, ladies!” Hope exclaims.

<Girls, it’s time to meet the boys! There’s five sexy men waiting to meet you on the lawn. You’ll take it in turns to make an entrance and pick a boy. But don’t relax once you’ve coupled up! The boys all stay up for grabs until every girl has chosen. Will the next girl out steal your hunk and put you on the bench? #picknmix #standbyyourman.>

“It’s happening you guys!” Hannah exclaims. “Who do you think will get to go first?”

Just when she finishes asking, Minni can feel her phone vibrating inside her pocket, the ding sound echoing across the room.

“I guess we’re about to find out,” Hope says.

<The girl going first will be… Minerva!>

All the other girls turn to look at her. The young woman opens her mouth in surprise, but then smiles sweetly. By now, she is ecstatic and anxious to meet new boys. She is sure that, after so much dating, she knows how to make a good first impression and, most importantly, how to flirt pretty well. Flirting is a skill she has mastered over the years, much people impressed by how quick she is able to slide a cute compliment here and there, or to give a cheeky comeback. And she is no fool, she knows this will play to her advantage here in the Villa, especially because most boys are not used to girls being cheeky and direct. So, after the initial shock, she’s more than thrilled to go first.

“Good luck!” Lottie speaks.

After hearing her, Minni’s sweet smile turns into a more playful one. She winks cheekily, “Thanks, but the boys are the ones who will need it.”

Chloe raises her eyebrows out of fascination for the young woman’s sudden confidence and half smiles, “Go easy on them, hun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> most of you may know our MCs already, but we took the time to introduce them again, just in case.｡.:*☆ we hope you're liking this so far♥  
> -cassiahalley.


	2. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mate, those birds are proper fit.” Gary whistles out his overwhelming sight of Minni and Chloe chatting at the kitchen. He’s seen his fair share of beautiful girls in Chatham, but what’s been brought to the Villa surpasses his usual level of attractive femininity.  
> Their light laughter echoes across the area and they steal a quick glance at the Kent boys, who are comfortably sitting on the bean bags as they talk. Dicky tries to hide his smirk as he wipes his mouth and catches Chloe’s bright eyes. She’s quite the enchanter, even without any exchange of words.  
> “I’ll be honest, never thought I’d make it to this bloody show,” the man admits.  
> Hissing out a chuckle, the crane operator shakes his head. “Heh. You and me both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys.｡.:*☆ here comes the first chapter of this fic. we had so much fun writing this, especially for having both of our girls finally toghether in the same Villa. also, you'll see a small musical note at the begining of some scenes from now on, and if you click on them you'll have a background music suggestion for said scene. we hope you like this chapter♥  
> -cassiahalley.

**Day 1**

**In the daybeds – Afternoon.**

“Still feeling Rocco’s tongue in your belly?” Minni jokes as she approaches Chloe.

The cellist is sitting on one of the daybeds, the place serving as a secluded spot for her to relax after today’s Truth or Dare challenge. She cringes at the younger girl’s joke, the memory of Rocco’s tongue on her making her skin crawl.

“Ugh, must you remind me?” She squints at the recent flash of memory of the hippie Islander, “I had to be the unlucky one.”

“Unlucky would be an understatement, babes,” the physics student winks at her as she settles down beside her. She folds her slim legs in front of her and tilts her head to look at her new friend, blue eyes changing shade as different angles of sunlight hit them, “So, how are you finding all of this so far?”

As she asks, Chloe notices her sight shifting from her to an area across the lawn. Curious, she turns around to scan the Villa. The afternoon sunshine glints on the pool and the bushes surrounding the lawn are starting to cast slim shadows over the grass. She can see Marisol and Hannah chatting on the lawn, and some of the boys have already started working out in the gym. This is where Minni’s gaze lingers, as she watches the men exploring the different machines and equipment. The Londoner is not sure who her friend is exactly looking at, but she guesses it must be Gary, her current partner.

Chloe follows Minni’s gaze and takes her time to observe each toned man behind her darkened shades. She isn’t too interested in fitness, but the sight is not a bad one at all. Her golden-hazel eyes land on the muscled spiky-haired blond bending down and positioning himself to lift weights. The minute she sets look on him, she can’t blind herself— Gary is extremely attractive and very easy to chat with. Chloe can’t help but cock her head to side and drink in the wonderful scenery of his muscles flexed as he lifts the weights. She recalls unintentionally overhearing a conversation the boys had earlier and Gary seems quite lad-like. With the crane operator, Chloe is convinced she’ll find him to be a great friend but nothing more.

She gives the younger girl a simple shrug with an unbothered look on her face. “The Villa’s beautiful but I’ll be honest, the whole bed sharing situation is awkward. I mean, I’ve just met Dicky! I don’t have a bloody idea of what he’s really like,” she responds, throwing her arms in the air out of her uncertainty.

Minni laughs a little. “It’s just sharing a bed, mate. The things are so big you could build a double pillow wall and still have room to starfish,” she responds in a calmed but playful tone. Swiftly, she takes her light blue sunglasses off the top of her head and puts them on, sliding them down the bridge of her nose cheekily. “Besides, Dicky can’t be _that_ bad. I mean, he’s prickly and grumpy and overall just, you know… unfriendly. But he can’t be that bad,” she teases.

The Cantabrigian remembers the reason she didn’t consider coupling up with him earlier in the day— the guy barely even said hi to her when she introduced herself. But now, as she looks at him working out alongside Gary, she starts thinking that she should’ve given him a chance. He looks less moody and his bad boy, asshole aura fades a little as, for the first time, she sees him actually laughing while he chats with the rest of the lads.

The contrast between the pair of friends is almost funny to her. If Gary wouldn’t have told her during their chat after the Recoupling, she would’ve never guessed he and Dicky were long-time best mates. While Gary is all cheeky and light-hearted, Dicky almost looks like he could paralyze someone with just a stare and is so hard to read for her when he has his defences on, unlike now. Even look-wise they’re completely different; whereas Gary is insanely buff and not too tall, Dicky’s frame is sharp all over and Minni guesses his height must be towering at more than 6ft. Also, his short dark hair and scruff compliment his deep green-hazel eyes. Despite having either a scowl or a cocky smirk in his face, the girl can’t deny that he’s incredibly attractive. She leans forward a little in the daybed, enjoying the sight of the two men who fit her type, at least on the physical aspect: pale blond or raven dark hair with light eyes, and notices that, together, they almost look like yin and yang.

Chloe scoffs at the remembrance of coupling up with Dicky and agrees that he’s not a sociable man at all, “He’s definitely a sort but I dunno, I reckon I’ll have to try a little harder with him.”

The chat Chloe had with Dicky was pretty standard; the small talk was fine and they got to know each other a little bit more. He seems like a decent lad and, so far, she’s felt alright being coupled up with him. After exchanging a few sentences, she knew he wasn’t her typical type and didn’t know if she was looking forward to the challenge. Her dating history consists of city boys, former university mutuals, and performers from theatres. At this point, her objective is to befriend Dicky and see where this all goes.

“Maybe,” Minni shrugs. “And if it doesn’t work, there’s a lot of hot boys in here anyway.” She adjusts her sunglasses and offers her a smile, which soon flattens a little, “Although, I have to be sincere, none of them are doing it for me besides Gary. Rocco and Dicky are hot, but that’s it for now.”

She scans the gym again, watching the men work, and tries to figure out who else she could possibly fancy. She doesn’t feel attraction to Noah or Ibrahim, but she reckons they’re nice lads, and she came here after talking to Bobby, who she can’t see as more than a friend. They definitely clicked on the friendship level straight away and shared an incredible chat, which was mostly about dumb things like pranks and memes, plus she actually managed to make him open up a bit about how nervous he gets when flirting with girls and gave him some advice, but that’s as far as she would go with him. He could become his best mate in here, just like Chloe. And as for Rocco, she hasn’t quite discarded him yet. She’s not sure why she kind of thinks that it would be nice to get to know him better.

For now, she’s pretty content with having chosen Gary. He seems like a good, chill bloke and he makes her laugh a lot, plus he is cheeky all over and Minni relishes on cheekiness. Needless to say, he’s also really good-looking, his crystal blue irises having a unique warmth in them, she noticed. They actually had such a good time chatting after coupling up and she sensed that they could have something special going on. She’s not sure if it’s the beginning of something romantic yet, but it’s a better start than she expected when she first entered the Villa.

The musical performer adjusts her sitting position and hums out a sigh, “Babes, I can’t quite pinpoint who I really fancy, if I’m honest. I’ll need a proper chat with each boy to see if there’s that ‘click’, you know?"

“So… you didn’t feel that ‘click’ with Dicky yet?” Minni asks, curious. “You already chatted for a while earlier.”

Chloe angles her head to the side and peeks over her dark brown sunglasses to view the blue-eyed girl and tries to be discreet with her curled grin. “Why do you ask? Goodness, you’re interested in Dicky already?” she jokingly teases her new friend.

Minni just giggles. “I can’t say that he’s not hot, but his personality is still a mystery to me,” she confesses. “Besides, we’re _too_ different. I mean, look at him. We’re polar opposites, like the two halves of Gliese 581-c, and I am the warm side for sure. If you ask me, I’m fine with Gary for now.”

Chloe can’t help but chuckle at the comparison, “Mate, that’s alien to me but weirdly, it makes sense.”

“Oh, I could explain it to you. You’ll see, Gliese 581-c is an exoplanet that orbits a red dwarf star and that doesn’t rotate on its axis. Despite this, it’s been voted one of the top exoplanets likely to support alien life…” the girl starts ranting enthusiastically.

The French-London girl stares blankly at the astrophysics student with her lips parted out of confusion. _Quirky girl… but she’s sweet. Still quirky nonetheless_ , Chloe lingers in thought of her. She’s a spunky girl and as soon as they met today, she took an immediate liking to her originality, unlike the rest of the Villa girls here.

As the older brunette nods in agreement pretending to listen, she lightly bites her bottom lip, getting lost in thought of how she’ll even last in this place. She’s quite sociable and doesn’t have a problem making friends but it takes time for her to catch any feelings. All Chloe knows about Love Island is how fast this place moves and isn’t certain if she’ll truly find what she’s looking for.

“Alright, enough about exoplanets,” Minni smirks. “Tell me about your boy and I’ll tell you about mine. Let’s compare notes.”

Chloe settles her brown locks in a quick messy bun and finds the topic intriguing, “Well let’s see… to begin with, Dicky is not his real name. It’s not short for Richard or something like that either. His name is actually Jason. He’s from Chatham which isn’t a bad start, because it’s not far from London. Of course, that’s if we hit it off. He’s my age— twenty-five, and works as a mechanic. Oh! And he’s told me about a sister, I think? Something like that.” She shrugs again, “As long as he’s not a serial killer, we’re good!” She finishes, rolling her eyes.

“See? He can’t be too bad.” She gives the other woman a reassuring nudge before starting to speak, “So, Gary. He’s been friends with your boy since forever, apparently. I didn’t get too much deep info on his life because we mainly talked about random stuff, but from what I remember—”

She’s suddenly interrupted by the sound of a phone somewhere in the Villa, followed by Marisol yelling from a distance, “Text! Guys, I got a text!”

Minni stands up, excited, and pulls the older girl’s arm, “Let’s go, Chloe!”

She smiles at the younger girl’s enthusiasm, following her to where the rest of the Islanders are. All of them gather around as Marisol starts reading. <Islanders, tonight there will be a welcome party. Please get ready to say hi to a very special guest! #drinksonus, #droppingthebombshell.>

“Amazing! A party!” Hope says.

Minni beams, hoping there will be some good drinks to spend her time on. She catches Gary’s look, who offers her a smile.

“Does that mean another girl is coming in here?” Lottie questions.

All the girls look at each other, suddenly worried.

Minni sees Noah looking over at Hope, “Or it could be another guy…”

**At the lawn – Evening.**

“Mate, those birds are proper fit,” Gary whistles out his overwhelming sight of Minni and Chloe chatting at the kitchen. He’s seen his fair share of beautiful girls in Chatham, but what’s been brought to the Villa surpasses his usual level of attractive femininity.

Their light laughter echoes across the area and they steal a quick glance at the Kent boys, who are comfortably sitting on the bean bags as they talk. Dicky tries to hide his smirk as he wipes his mouth and catches Chloe’s sight. She’s quite the enchanter, even without any exchange of words.

“I’ll be honest, never thought I’d make it to this bloody show,” the man admits.

Hissing out a chuckle, the crane operator shakes his head, “Heh. You and me both.” Next, he leans closer to his dark-haired friend to make sure no one else listens, “At this rate, it’s best to just keep it cool and see where this takes us, bruv. The odds of the two of us being here are mad.”

Dicky nods in agreement and can’t help but angle his head back at the two brunettes once again. He’s wondered what they might be chatting about. So far, all he’s known of Chloe is that she’s a classical cellist, she’s his same age, and that she lives in London. Despite the girl not being quite his type on paper, he is willing to give it a try. This isn’t normally how he meets girls for sure, but it’s an interesting experience, to say the least.

His emerald-hazel stare shifts to the freckled girl next to his current partner and lingers there. He doesn’t quite have an opinion of her just yet, just because he hasn’t exchanged more than a few words with her. He recalls that her voice is very silky and light, similar to her appearance. She’s very attractive— there’s no denying there, but he has the hunch that her bubbly nature is something that will annoy him at some point. Overall, he guesses that he will have to get used to her, especially when she’s Gary’s partner.

The boys turn their heads to hear a clatter of heels approaching them. They see the same two girls coming over their direction.

“Hi, boys! Care for a chat?” Minni perches her voice to catch their full attention. Her bright blue eyes look at them both, a soft smile in her pink lips.

The lads shift their bodies and pull close an extra couple of bean bags to make room for the girls. Chloe sits next to Dicky and Minni adjusts herself next to Gary.

“Alright, girls?” Gary glances at both females and curls a grin, expecting their answers.

Offering another smile, Minni looks at him directly, making him feel flirty vibes coming from her. He maintains the eye contact and responds with a cheeky smirk. “I’m good, thanks,” the younger girl says, twirling her glass of champagne between her fingers.

Feeling a little shifty by having those two flirting so evidently right next to him, Dicky lightly jitters his leg and runs a quick hand over his raven-coloured locks, blinking over to his own partner instead, “It’s been quite the day, hasn’t it?”

Chloe raises her eyebrows and twirls her manicured finger on the bean bag’s yellow surface. “I haven’t been so nervous in my life! This whole coupling situation had me on my toes. I was afraid no one was going to step forward for me!” she breathes out a nervous laughter.

Dicky smirks, “Mate, you’re a proper beauty. It’d be strange to not step forward for the lot of birds here, actually. Except for that Hannah girl.” He winces at the thought and rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed.

Sitting beside Chloe, Minni frowns and scrunches her nose at the mechanic, turning her attention away from Gary for a moment, “What’s so wrong with Hannah?”

Letting out a scoff at her question, Dicky’s wince wrinkles more in his face, “You’re bantering, right? She’s well annoying! All that chatter of her ‘dream man’. Come on! She needs a reality check.”

Next to him, the cellist girl pouts and shakes her head out of disapproval, “You’re not wrong about her needing a reality check, but she’s still really young. Hannah probably just needs to learn more about men. Just try to go easy on her.”

Gary decides to get into the conversation too. He chugs the last bit of his beverage and scratches his golden stubble. “I don’t know, mate,” he starts, as his stare stays still on Chloe. “She kept saying something about finding her ‘Darcy’ here. Besides, Minni’s the same age as her and isn’t here talking about prince charming.”

“I could start doing it if you want to,” the blue-eyed girl teases, mischievous.

“Cheeky,” he responds, throwing her a smug look.

After that, the four remain silent to only hear the rest of the Islanders’ faint conversations, all of them scattered across the Villa. Just in that moment, they can hear Hannah chatting to Marisol and Bobby, speaking in a dreamy voice.

“… and maybe you have to believe in love stories and prince charming and that eventually you’ll find your own happily ever after.”

Both of the brunettes hear the pair of Chatham men burst out laughing at Hannah’s unrealistic imagination. Dicky shakes his head and tries his best to control his amused snicker.

“Who’s gonna break the news to her?” he asks, still chuckling a bit.

 _Well, isn’t this a turn off_ , Minni thinks. Not wanting to engage into a discussion just yet, she shoves her hands into the pockets of her glittery pink dress and throws an icy look at her partner. Giving his initial lad-like attitude, she expects him to return the glance or to reply with something, but instead he looks genuinely apologetic when he notices that she didn’t like what she heard.

Subsequently, Chloe throws Dicky a disapproving glare and arches a questioning eyebrow. Even though she does sort of agree to his comment, she also thinks that isn’t right to criticise the young girl’s wishes on a boyfriend. She opens her mouth to respond but ends up intaking a gasp of excitement as she hears one of her favourite songs starting to play, “Oh, my days! I love this song!”

Gary is quick to notice his mate’s closed behaviour towards Chloe. He’s known the mechanic for ages and knows for a fact that he never dances— never, not even when the fittest woman at the pub asks him to. And now the hazel-eyed girl obviously wants Dicky to ask her for a dance and all he does is turn the other cheek and sink more into his seat. The crane operator discreetly flickers his eyelashes out of frustration. _This bloke is never gonna learn…_

“Me too,” he smiles at the girl and stands up. “Wanna go for a dance, ladies?”

Although Minni’s features flicker with amusement, she’s just drawing a cigarette out of the pack that’s inside her pocket, “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute.”

“Sure,” the blonde man winks at her and then stretches his arm out to give Chloe a cheeky grin.

The petite brunette blinks and looks up to the brawny blond standing in front of her. No more words are necessary to understand each other, and Chloe offers him a small smile of gratitude. She reaches out to take his hand and stands up, allowing the warmth of his fingers to engulf her slender hand.

While they walk away, Minni’s sight follows them, a smile in her lips. Next, she leaves her empty glass on the ground and turns to light up her cigarette with her sparkly pink lighter. Just then she remembers that she’s stuck with Dicky, who hasn’t moved from his bean bag yet. Once she looks at him, she notices that his glare is fixed on her and on what she’s doing, and not on his partner going away with Gary, as the blue-eyed girl expected.

The brunet man scans her up and down before talking, “You don’t look like you smoke. I couldn’t have guessed it.”

“There’s a lot of things you won’t guess about me,” Minni responds, her orbs flicking to him briefly.

Dicky doesn’t know if those flirty vibes of hers are engraved in her personality or if she’s just acting like this because she finds him attractive. Oddly enough, the first one seems more plausible, just because this bird seems to be extremely genuine. While raising an eyebrow and without knowing how to respond, he watches her light up two cigarettes. He stares, perplexed.

“ _You_ do look like you smoke,” she smirks, offering him one.

He can’t help chuckling at her gesture and accepts her offer, grabbing it with gentleness. He takes a puff whilst his attention goes to his mate and his current partner, who are already dancing along with the rest of the people. The music seems to turn up in volume and cheers along with laughing resonate in the thin air of the evening.

“So, you chose Gary huh?” Dicky asks.

Minni looks at him, “Yeah. He’s handsome and I like his banter.”

The brunet man hums under his breath. “Muscly Goldilocks has quite the charm with birds,” he says. “I assure you that you won’t be the only one after him.”

Not bothered, the girl shrugs. Even though she would really like to have the opportunity to get to know Gary better, she knows that she shouldn’t get attached so soon. “I will manage.”

There’s a brief silence while they listen to the energetic song that comes through the speakers, the rest of the Islander twirling and moving along the rhythm, forming groups across the lawn.

Dicky takes his time to think of his words before speaking again, “He’s quite naïve too, so… don’t hurt him, yeah?”

Kind of confused by his change of tune, Minni raises an eyebrow and turns her gaze to him, “What makes you think I could hurt him?”

This seems like it’s the first time the man doesn’t avoid eye contact with her after a few seconds, his yellow-emerald eyes looking at her directly. He gives her a cocky smile, trying to play it cool and not wanting to get too serious on her.

“Dunno. Maybe you’ve got some hidden depths under that _sunny_ exterior,” he murmurs. “Maybe you’re secretly a heartbreaker.”

A quick laugh escapes her glossy pink lips as she rolls her eyes at him, drawing some smoke. Dicky’s gaze analyses her up and down for a moment, and she feels exposed. She can’t figure out whether she likes not being able to read him well or not, his mysterious aura being so attractive to her all of the sudden. It’s like the darkness of his outfit and overall demeanour invoked the gravitational force of a black hole, and Minni knows well how they work.

“Alright, enough chat. Let’s go dancing!” the young woman breaks the silence, also cutting the unexpected tension between them. She extinguishes her cigarette and stands up, excited. Then, she extends her small hand for him to take and wiggles her fingers playfully.

Dicky’s response is just staring at her hand and then back at her a couple of times. His face doesn’t show any emotion she can put a finger on; it’s the best poker face Minni’s ever seen.

“Oh, let me guess. Big frowny bad boy doesn’t dance,” the girl teases, tilting her head to meet Dicky’s unamused stare.

“That’s right. No dancing,” he responds, exhaling a puff of white smoke. “Sorry, love.”

While raising an eyebrow from where he’s at, Gary throws a quick glare at his mate. Dicky knows that look very well, because it happens whenever a bird tries to dance with him— it’s Gary’s ‘are you really gonna reject her?’ look. This only makes Dicky roll his eyes, feeling quite overwhelmed by the attention.

“I don’t dance,” he repeats, avoiding Gary’s look and turning to look at Minni, in hopes that this will make her go away.

Despite this, soon her charm, her goddamn huge blue eyes and witty smirk make his stomach flutter. The excessive amount of shiny eyeshadow on her eyelids shimmers with the fairy lights near them as she bats her long eyelashes, in an attempt to convince him.

“Oh no,” Dicky says, pointing at her and shaking his head. “Don’t you dare to come here and try to convince me by giving me that puppy look and batting your false eyelashes.”

Minni frowns at his words, “I don’t wear false eyelashes, Dicky.”

Strangely, that takes him by surprise. _Bloody hell_ , he thinks, looking at her beautiful, completely natural features. _Focus, Jason!_ He is quick to shake his head. “That’s not the point,” the Chathamite huffs, annoyed.

Just then, the brunette girl shrugs and starts walking away. She almost yelps in surprise when she feels his strong hand grab her wrist firmly. She turns around to see him quite timid for the first time, still sitting on the bean bag.

“Just one song, and then don’t ask again,” he says.

Without a word, Minni waits for him to stand up and then guides him enthusiastically to the lawn where all of the Islander are. She has a smug grin on her face, because she knows that, despite his statement, if she asks again, he’d say yes anyway.

**At the lawn – Evening.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7nt1f2Szn4)

Gary’s dancing is… not the best. He wasn’t joking around how bad he is when he got dared earlier to dance for Marisol. His rhythm is a little off in contrast to Chloe’s movements perfectly matching each beat. He’s absolutely a handsome lad but his dancing is atrocious. She purses her matte blushed lips to avoid a humorous smile betray her face; Gary’s moves are _really_ bad.

 _Bless his heart_ , Chloe thinks as she continues to witness how cringeworthy his two left feet strangely shift from one side to another. Still, it was sweet of him to offer the dance when Dicky didn’t even turn to look at her. Her sunny eyes are quick to notice the blond man’s attention at the other end of the dance floor. Her long eyebrows gently raise, curious to know what he was glaring at. Chloe follows his gaze and turns her head to look over her shoulder.

 _Minni managed to get Dicky to dance with her? Huh_. Chloe must admit, she’s impressed and shakes a nod of approval for the freckled girl. At least someone here can get through that dense man. She only wishes she, too, can break through Dicky’s walls at some point.

The wavy-haired girl brings her attention back to the bearded man still wearing a scowl on his face. A playful chuckle traces a grin across her mouth, “Jealous already?”

Her soft feminine vocals snap Gary’s attention back to Chloe and sees how patiently she waits for his answer. He didn’t realize that he was staring at the pair for way too long and now he tries to hide his shock for the fact that Minni somehow convinced Dicky to dance; Gary’s never seen him dancing before, and he well plans to tease him about it later. He guesses it could be true that anything can happen in Love Island, after all.

The crane operator blinks at the question and laughs along with her, “Nah, mate. Dicky is not the easiest bloke to be around and he’s giving Minerva a hard time already.” The last bit of his words come along with an irritable pout, “He’s not easy to convince, you know. I reckon you deserved your dance.”

She looks over Gary’s shoulder to see Minerva and Dicky on the dance floor. Weirdly enough, the Kent boys were not the dancing type. She wonders if all men from Chatham are this stiff with their dance moves.

Chloe mildly cocks her head to a mischievous plan ascending in her evil little mind, “Aaahh, so that’s why you’ve asked me for a dance? I’m a charity case?”

Not knowing how to respond, Gary’s thick eyebrow slightly twitches. The bulky Islander wouldn’t want her to think he offered a dance out of pity. He’s mentally kicking himself for always spitting out the wrong words.

“No! That’s not the reason. I just— you see I was, uhm—” His deep voice cracks out of panic.

Chloe lightly giggles at his nervous squirm of stutters, leaving him even more confused, “Don’t hurt yourself, I’m just joking! It’s fun to tease a little.”

Gary stares at how entertained the musician is and he feels dumbfounded. A beam grows across his bearded cheeks and finally joins the laughter. He has to admit, she’s a proper jokester and that he wasn’t expecting it from such an elegant-looking cellist. Those theatrical musicians always seem so serious to him on the telly, “You’re a sneaky one, are you?”

“Hmm, I dunno what you’re talking about,” she innocently shrugs. Seeing him all nervous is the exact reaction she was looking for and it is bloody hilarious.

Chloe notices how flirty his vibrant sky-blue eyes remain on her while a short silence fills the void of the two. Normally, she’s the one leaving men flustered with her sensual gaze but this time, she’s getting a taste of her own medicine. Her heart involuntarily skips a beat at how intense Gary’s look felt on her. For a second, Chloe’s left a bit vulnerable; almost like he could easily read her thoughts. She clears her throat to break the tension. “You don’t have to stick with me, Gary. I’m sure you’re worried he’ll upset Minerva,” her voice alters to a modest tone.

“Don’t worry about it, love. Minni seems like she can handle him. Besides, it’d be rude of me to abandon a pretty bird,” Gary curls another cheeky smirk and she’s quick to respond with a reserved smile. It’s a good thing they are in a darker area, otherwise he’d be able to see her evident blushed cheeks. 

“Well I appreciate the rescue,” she gives him a playful glare and lightly pokes his torso. He’s surely a flirty lad and while she enjoys the boldness, she decides to reserve her grafting for Dicky.

**At the lawn – Evening.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWWSM3wCiKY)

Minni giggles as she sways at the rhythm of the music, her movements are effortless as it seems like she floats around Dicky, who makes an incredible contrast in every way possible— he’s stiff as a brick.

The brunet Chathamite would have usually stopped trying after a few minutes, but there’s something utterly alluring about this bird’s attitude towards him that makes him want to stay. She lets out small chuckles when he steps the wrong way but doesn’t say anything else while she guides him in the right direction. He would’ve expected any other girl to get annoyed and instantly ditch him for someone else, for someone _better_.

“I never asked,” she speaks as she moves around him. The man asks himself how she manages to make dancing look so easy. “Why do people back home call you ‘Dicky’? I mean, your name’s Jason, right?”

Her curiosity surprises him quite a bit. He lets out a small chuckle through his teeth, “You could say that I got called certain word one-too-many times because of my… character.” A smug grin spreads across Dicky’s face as he looks down at the girl, “Then they added the ‘wye’ for politeness, and it stuck.”

Minni snorts a little. “It well fits you. When you barely introduced yourself when we all coupled up, I surely thought ‘ugh, what a dick’,” she teases, while her narrow hips and tiny waist swing smoothly from side to side. She’s not even touching him, they’re not even close and yet Dicky’s heart rate quickens.

A mischievous glimmer flashes on his hazel-green orbs. “Oh, I’m sorry, your highness,” he rolls his eyes. Out of the blue, he takes her hand, air kisses it and bows a little, mockingly, “The name’s Jason Emsworth. The pleasure is mine.”

The brunette girl raises an eyebrow. “This made you look even more like a dick,” she responds, and the mechanic notices her getting truly irritated for the first time.

“Is it a good time to cut in?” Suddenly, a deep voice speaks from behind Dicky’s back, a smile forming in Minni’s lips after hearing it. The brunet man turns around to see Gary in his classic puffed up stance when he’s feeling confident, with Chloe right by his side.

“ _Perfect_ timing, mate,” Minni responds, taking a few steps towards the blond man.

By the look on her face, Gary guesses that Dicky’s friendliness didn’t last too long. “I figured,” the crane operator replies with a reassuring smile, wrapping an arm around his partner’s small shoulders. He’s about to say something else when he gets interrupted by a text, received by Hannah.

<Islanders, please go to the firepit and get ready to meet your new arrival. #newarrival #turnuptheheat.>

Just then, both sets of hazel eyes, one bright, golden warm and the other greenish stone-cold, and both pairs of blue eyes, one metallic light and the other coloured with deep cobalt streaks, exchange tense and intrigued looks.

**In the daybeds – Night-time.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui_IZfPyHQk)

The crickets chirp and there’s a small breeze blowing in the Villa, which gently moves Minni’s brunette hair from time to time. She is all alone, sitting cross-legged on a daybed, looking at the view and lost in thought as she is staring up at the constellations above her. At first, she came in here to chill a little before going to sleep and with the intentions to spot if there’s any difference between the star map here and the one back home, but then she ended up thinking about everything that happened today.

Between having fallen to the ground before even entering the Villa, getting to know an awesome friend like Chloe, meeting six gorgeous men, participating in a game of Truth or Dare in which she outed herself as bisexual, received a peck from Gary after he pulled out a card that clearly said ‘kiss the Islander who you fancy the most’, then celebrating with a welcome party, getting to dance with cranky but unbelievably attractive Dicky and trying her best to be friendly with new girl Priya, Minni doesn’t know how to process all of this. It’s a lot, she reckons, but she’s also so glad to be here.

Suddenly, she feels a heavy weight sink the mattress next to her. Her sight goes from the sky to Gary, who has just sat by her side. Minni beams instantly; the fairy lights of the Villa make his bare torso look more chiselled, giving his skin a honey-like glow. She notices that he is already in his pyjamas too and finds it cute that his dark optical glasses are still framing his handsome features.

“Hey gorgeous,” she greets him.

“And hello to you, too,” he responds with a soft smile. Before continuing, he makes a small pause to stare at the lawn. “It looks like everyone’s getting ready for bed,” he says, a bit nervous. “And, as it’s our first night as a couple… I was thinking about what you said earlier about wanting to get to know each other better. And I thought, there’s one way I know that’s great for that.”

The girl’s cheeks turn a little pink when she understands what he’s trying to say.

“How do you feel about sharing a bed tonight?” the crane operator finishes.

With a flirty attitude, Minni looks at him behind her long and thick eyelashes, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Gary instantly feels relieved that she accepted his proposal. He breathes deeply, a smile forming in his face. “I’m so glad you said that!” he chuckles. “I was so much more nervous that I was expecting!”

There’s a comfortable silence for a moment and Gary takes that time to edge closer to the girl. The breeze cools down and drifts over the lawn, making both shiver slightly.

“You look amazing tonight. I just want to say that,” the blond murmurs sincerely, letting his gaze rest on her features, “I’m really glad we’re coupled up.”

Overall, he reckons things have been going amazingly for the two of them. They have nice banter and their flirting never stops, which makes Gary feel so happy that his cheeks already hurt from smiling so much during the day. He’s glad that Minni chose him; her kind, reassuring and bubbly attitude brings a comfortable atmosphere wherever she is, causing him to feel at ease when he’s with her.

While the Chathamite reflects, he feels the young woman shifting closer to him, her nose brushing up against his cheek. “Hey…” he whispers, a cheeky smile appearing in his face at the anticipation.

“Hey,” Minni breathes.

Tantalizingly slow, their lips find each other, and they begin to kiss. The kiss starts gentle and slow as both try to take their time to register in their brains what is happening, but instead they just seem to be exploding from quick bursts of endorphins. Minni runs her small hands up Gary’s strong back, across his broad, sculpted shoulders and lets them rest comfortably on his nape. Gary’s body is robust, warm and _confident_ — she thinks he’s gorgeous in every sense of the word.

His thumb strokes right below her bottom lip for just a moment before it is caressing her cheek, the pad soft and just slightly calloused. The brunette’s hands go up his neck then, and into his blond, thick locks as she pulls him closer if possible. She can feel the tender grazing of Gary’s stubble on her face while she parts his lips with her tongue. He reciprocates right away, and the kiss deepens.

They explore each other for the first time, tongues twirling frantically amongst their hot breathing, the sounds around them vanishing. Gary could’ve never predicted that this is where his first day at the Villa would’ve ended up, but there is no way he is complaining. There he is, kissing the one of most beautiful birds he’s ever seen; and he’s not exaggerating.

An involuntary moan escapes his throat as Minni’s tongue sweeps across his lower lip skilfully. He places his hand flat on her lower back to move her closer, a faint smell hitting his nose— she smells like _raspberries_. Her figure, her subtle curves and smooth skin are amazing to the touch, as she isn’t muscular of buff, neither busty nor too curvy, she is lean, tiny and overall just soft. And, to top that, she’s a really good kisser. He gets distracted from that thought by the sensation of her smiling onto the kiss.

Minni’s mind buzzes, trying to process all the new and exciting sensations from now, the air growing warmer between the pair. She’s having fun, the most fun she’s had in ages with a boy. The girl never expected Gary’s touches to be so affectionate and gentle, as most muscular blokes she’s kissed were tenacious, stiff and relied on toughness and dominance. But Gary’s fingers graze her like if she was a _flower_ , his lips puffy and his tongue reciprocating every inviting lick, every delicate brush and every playful flick.

None of them could have guessed they would kiss their partner on the first night in the Villa and less that the kiss would turn out to be so thrilling, as they savour the other’s mouth for what seems like a few seconds but also long hours.

As their lips part, Minni opens her eyes to see Gary looking back at her. After having kissed her, he can’t help to admire her from this close distance. He can see all the tiny freckles that adorn her cheekbones and nose, which resemble small stars on her light skin. With a small smirk forming in his lips, he takes a few seconds to look at the detail of her big blue irises— they’re a bright cobalt colour, darker in the centre and lighter towards the edges. The colour distribution is so odd that it’s hard for Gary to focus his attention on something else for the moment.

“I should have guessed you were a good kisser,” he whispers, breaking the silence.

The brunette breaks into a smirk at the compliment, “You’re not too bad yourself.”

“As first kisses go, that was a cracker,” Gary beams, wrapping his arms around her.

A soft giggle escapes the girl’s mouth as she leans her head on his broad chest. “So, there are going to be more?” she teases, looking up at him.

Feeling his heart thumping in his chest, Gary’s sight doesn’t leave her face as he runs his hand up her arm. “If you’re lucky,” he responds, cheekily.

Being her light-hearted and easy-going self, Minni fakes outrage. “If _you_ are lucky, Rennell,” she corrects him playfully. “You’re being optimistic.”

This makes the crane operator chuckle, “Maybe I am.”

**At the swinging chair – Night-time.**

_Whew! What a day!_ Chloe exclaims in her head. She takes a seat on the wide swinging chair and her toned legs dangle mid-air. It seems like no one’s explored this area of the Villa and the seclusion is exactly what she’s looking for before heading over to her assigned bed. The serenity is welcoming: the sound of the gentle wind makes some of the vegetation’s leaves rustle.

The lonesome girl breathes in the entirety of the events and tries to take it all in; so much has happened and there’s no denying that there’s an element of nervousness within her. Chloe recalls being offered to join the cast a few months ago and still can’t believe she accepted. It took her some time to think it over, but her friends managed to miraculously convince her. 

Her vibrant eyes can easily detect the daybeds and spots Minni sitting next to Gary, shoulder to shoulder, seemingly having a cheeky chat from the looks of their smiles.

“Didn’t think you’d be the spying type,” a cool-masculine voice grabs her attention and sees Dicky giving her his typical smug grin.

She welcomes her partner with a delighted smile, “Me neither, but come here!” Chloe pats the seat next to her and waits for Dicky to settle himself beside her. He swings his long arm behind her and settles it at the top of the swinging chair. “We can people-watch together,” she shamelessly suggests.

The pair of dark-haired Islanders relax in silence in their company until Dicky leans over to Chloe. Without having to look at him, she’s anticipating the mockery already. “So, how was your dance with golden boy? Really horrible or extremely terrible?” He sneers near Chloe’s face.

The unamused cellist delivers a grimace across her soft features, “Ha, ha. Very funny. That boy has two left feet! And I’ll have you know, it would’ve been nice if someone _else_ had danced with me instead.” She gives him a pointed look and Dicky knows she’s referring to him.

The reserved mechanic stretches his long legs and crosses his ankles. He looks down at his current partner and effortlessly shrugs at her disappointment, “I don’t dance, darling.”

“Oh, what a load of rubbish! I saw you dancing with Minni…” Chloe raises her eyebrows to wait for his response but all he does is roll his irritated eyes; now she’s the one with the smug smile. _Great_.

He knows she’s got a point but Dicky refuses to give in to the exposure. He now crosses his arms, matching his ankles, and the closed body language adds more to his stubbornness, “I wasn’t about to make things awkward when she’s already asked.”

A joyous giggle slightly shakes Chloe’s shoulders to see Dicky grumbling over nonstop teasing. Seeing the grumpy Islander upset is sort of adorable; there’s a slight wrinkle between his darkened eyebrows and the bridge of his sharp nose, “Aww, you look—”

Chloe interrupts herself to intake an astonished gasp and exhales a whispered laugh that only he can probably hear. “They’ve kissed… already?” She asks with flabbergast to the scenery that’s happening in the daybeds, but impressed with her younger friend. There’s no way in hell Chloe would kiss Dicky on the first night.

Dicky takes out a cigarette and hangs it at the edge of his mouth. Curiously, he squints at the London beauty and back at his mate with Minni while fumbling through his pocket for a lighter. “What? Oh…” The Chatham native seems indifferent and corners a small grin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they cuddled in bed tonight,” he chuckles to himself and crooks his head back at the sunny-eyed young woman. Jason knows he’s been closed off to Chloe but he must admit, she is a lovely sight. Her unique laughter and smile can hypnotise any bloke here and he wouldn’t be any exception.

“Speaking of this ‘bed’ situation,” Chloe angles her body to face him and gives Dicky an expectant look. “How do you feel about sharing one?”

Dicky lingers his stare on Chloe before he speaks. There’s no way to determine what his thoughts are regarding the situation and blinks his dark lashes at her, “Do you drool?”

The young musician raises an eyebrow at the unexpected question, “Wha— no…?”

He nods approvingly of the answer and continues to interrogate the perplexed girl, “Do you groan in your sleep?”

“No…?” She scrunches her upper lip to the side out of confusion and can’t say she was expecting any of these questions.

“Hmm.” He drums his fingers over his mouth as he ponders over her answers, “What about snoring? Do you snore?”

The golden-eyed young woman leans back and crosses her arms at the ridiculous questionnaire, “No...!”

“Good,” he says, before puffing out the last bit of smoke from his finished cigarette. “Cos I do all of that.”

Chloe complains and pinches the bridge of her nose, “Please tell me you’re bantering? Ugh…” She laments out a breath and straightens her back out of determination. “Okay, fine! But _I_ choose what side of the bed to take. Deal?” Her hand extends towards Dicky for the offer and instantly feels his larger one grip onto the handshake.

“Deal. But I reckon I’ll end up on top of you by the time we wake up,” Dicky answers. He finds the brunette’s facial expressions quite animated and funny to observe. Even though he’s only known her for a few hours, he determines he’ll get along with her just fine. He was afraid Chloe would be too high maintenance and snobby but thus far, she’s been a real sound girl.

The look of horror on her face was rewarding enough and Dicky chuckles when she lets go of his hand, “Okay, okay, _now_ I’m joking. Don’t worry about it, love. You’ll just end up on the floor in the morning.”

Chloe takes the nearest pillow from her side and lightly throws it at the mechanic. He manages to dodge the innocent attack and smiles at her. There’s no explanation as to why but there’s something about her that makes him feel at ease and comfortable. He won’t confess it but Dicky’s looking forward to spending more time with the Londoner and seeing where this energy of theirs takes them. Coming to the Villa, he isn’t expecting much. He’s just here to have a good time with his good mate and perhaps a little bit of grafting won’t hurt. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently, romance already is blooming in the Villa and between our characters, but who knows what will happen next :3 let us know your thoughts on this AU in the comments down below✿✼:*ﾟ we hope to update soon with Day 2 between updating our individual fics. see you in the next chapter♥  
> -cassiahalley.


	3. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Even if we get kicked out, like, next week, this Love Island thing would still have been a fun experience we can tell the rest of the lads back home, don’t you think? I’m glad to be here with you, if I’m honest,” he says sincerely to his older mate.
> 
> Dicky throws his head back and groans, “Don’t get soft on me, man.” Then, he makes a brief pause, pondering Gary’s words. “But yeah, I agree. It’s nice to have a mate in here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy day today, you guys💛💛💛Finally, we've got chapter 2 upon us and it was truly a complete treat writing this with cassiahalley. She's fantastic and makes this story 10 times funner to write and brainstorm. We're at day 2 for our 4 Islanders and it's their first Love Island full day together. Just as they're getting to know their respective partners, our newest girl, Priya, is on the verge of stealing one of the boys.  
> Click on each musical note to immerse yourself with our protagonists👀  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it🥺  
> -mrsgaryrennell💛

**Day 2**

**In the bedroom – Early morning.**

An abrupt of bright lights illuminate the entire communal bedroom and all Islanders shift their duvets to avoid the morning’s greeting. 

Chloe tiredly squints to first view an unfamiliar ceiling. For a minute, she’s forgotten she’s in Love Island but quickly blinks out her blurry sight and restores her vision. A heavy snore rumbles in Chloe’s ears and winces at some low muffled grunts. She angles her head to the side and sees an unconscious Dicky on his side facing her. His raven locks are disarranged, and paled lips are parted just as he sucks in oxygen for another snore. Dicky shifts his sleeping arrangement and now lies face down with his face shoved in his drooled pillow. His brunette partner arranges a displeased face and lightly shakes her head. _I dunno how I’ll get used to this,_ Chloe thinks. 

Her puffy eyes glance at each bed and notices the majority of people already awake. She scans the beds with most of the couples in them: Noah and Hope, Rocco and Lottie, Bobby and Hannah, Ibrahim and Marisol, and Priya, who’s sleeping alone because she’s single. In the bed at Chloe’s side, she sees Gary’s muscular frame wrapped around Minerva’s small figure in what looks like a cosy spoon, just like Dicky predicted yesterday. Even though the younger girl’s bright blue eyes are open and awake like if she hadn’t fallen asleep at all, it looks like none of them have intentions to separate from their embrace just yet.

Next, Chloe brings her attention back to her drowsy partner and tries to hide her growing smile; she really doesn’t want to laugh but it’s hard when Dicky keeps mumbling nonsense in his sleep. She can’t quite make out what he’s saying but it’s entertaining, nonetheless. Her hand hardly makes any contact with his bare shoulder and instantly hears Dicky groan. Chloe brings her face closer to him and quietly whispers, “Dicky.”

No response other than his snoring. Either the mechanic is a heavy sleeper or he’s just ignoring her. The dark-haired musician grows an impatient pout and heavily exhales through her nostrils. There’s got to be a way to get this bloke out of bed. Chloe tucks in a loose curled hair strand behind her ear and scoots closer to Dicky. Her hand lands on the same shoulder and lightly shakes him awake, “Come on, sleeping beauty. It’s morning already.” 

The cranky Islander shrugs off her hand from his shoulder and lazily grumbles under his breath, “Go away.” Dicky carries an irritable look across his sluggish face and pulls the duvet over his head to block off his partner. Her cheery tone of voice is really hitting a nerve; he can only hope she really goes away. 

Chloe purses her lips together into a thin line and shakes her head. _Why does he have to be so difficult?_ It’s only been the first morning and he’s already making her life impossible. They’re in absolute silence for a moment until she hears a muffled bothered voice buried in his wrinkled pillow, “You’re still here?” 

The tall Chatham native lifts his head and peeks under his dark lashes to see Chloe looking down at him with a petty grin; a grin that clearly says, ‘I’m not going anywhere’. He rolls his eyes and groans, “You’re not gonna leave me alone, are you?” 

“Nope,” the petite Londoner softly giggles to his bad temper. Normally, she dislikes grumpy partners, but Dicky is just too entertaining and, must she confess, he’s slightly charming with ruffled morning hair and looking into those beady coloured eyes along with his raspy voice; it’s all too adorable. Chloe sits on her knees and scoots closer to Jason, “Come on... Tell you what? I can get us started with breakfast. What do you say?”

He throws her another scowl and he can’t believe Chloe’s mentioned what he’s most enthused about: food. Dicky heavily sighs in defeat and lazily rolls off the bed. He slumps next to his energised partner and roughly presses his larger fingers against his blurry vision, “Are you this bloody irritating in the morning?” He shifts his sight towards Chloe and can already sense a comeback ready to spill off her tongue. 

“Only when I have to deal with man-child tantrums,” she replies. Then, she pushes her hands on her kneecaps and stands up as she chuckles at his unimpressed reaction.

“Stop being such a sloth!” Chloe’s small hands wrap around his forearm, too heavy for her to get him off the damn bed. Dicky eventually gives in and finds it too funny to see her physically struggle to get him to come with her.

Meanwhile, Minni lifts her head up from her squishy pillow to watch the comical scene. She chuckles lightly at the pair and follows them with her dazed gaze until they disappear through the bedroom’s door and head towards the kitchen, with Dicky’s steps being incredibly heavy and lazy, expelling grumpiness, as Chloe seems to glide out enthusiastically. The cellist is definitely a morning person, Minni reckons.

“Morning,” the blue-eyed girl hears behind her all of the sudden. Gary’s deep and raspy morning voice reverberates across his front, making her feel the vibrations on her narrow and mostly bare back, which is pressed against his strong chest.

Inevitably, a soft smile forms in her lips and she blushes with pink colour, his presence behind her being soothing and pacifying in some way. Last night, the young woman wasn’t able to fall asleep properly, her insomnia haunting her and making her mind process all of this Love Island thing over and over again. Plus, making her worry about the possibility of new girl Priya choosing Gary to couple up with today, so the calm atmosphere of this first morning at the Villa brings a sense of comfort to her. And having the crane operator’s warm and big arms around her helps a lot too, especially after remembering the kiss they shared in the daybeds before entering the bedroom. Her stomach flutters at the memory; even though she knows that it wouldn’t be good to get attached to someone this early in the competition, less catching feelings, Gary has quite a charm that inevitably pulls her towards him.

“Good morning,” she whispers, turning around to face him.

Now it’s time for Gary’s lips to upturn into a smile at the sight of her. He almost can’t believe that she looks practically the same as when she was all dolled up last night— except for all the glittery makeup that she removed from her eyelids and cheekbones before settling onto bed next to him. This girl’s natural beauty impresses the Chathamite and leaves him speechless for a moment, long curled eyelashes batting and deep cobalt blue eyes staring back at him, a little glazed by having just opened them. He could most definitely get used to this, he reckons.

“Alright? Slept well?” The blond manages to ask, his face still feeling numb from slumber. He’s not willing let go of their embrace just yet, preferring to enjoy this short moment with such a nice bird between his arms; he could’ve never imagined that his first night in this bloody show would’ve ended up like it did, with him kissing his partner and then sharing a cosy cuddle all night long. It’s not a bad start at all.

“Yeah. You’re a good cuddle-buddy,” Minni responds kindly, stretching a bit.

Just then, Gary takes the hint and unwraps his arms from around her. He shifts and holds his head up by using his elbow as Minni sits on the mattress, the freshly washed white bedsheets sliding down her torso. Her partner’s baby blues look at her with attention, scanning her up and down slowly; her messy wavy locks cascade down her shoulders and her movements are so effortless and soft that it gives the illusion that she’s light as a feather— and maybe she is. Somehow Gary can still feel her dainty waist between his arms and her smooth legs intertwined with his.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” the crane operator chuckles. “Cos I tend to toss and turn sometimes and…” He trails off.

Minni cuts him with an airy laugh. “Mate, you slept like a sack of potatoes,” she says, offering a kind smile. “If it wasn’t for your snoring, I would’ve thought you died right after you closed your eyes.” Next, she makes a pause, a playful smirk appearing in her tender features, “Plus, you hiccup a lot.”

Her statement makes Gary’s face go red in an instant, feeling embarrassed at the thought that he snored and hiccupped on this bird’s ear all night. He never expected that sleeping next to him would be as bad as sleeping next to Dicky or Noah. “Oh, mate,” he whines. “Really?”

“Yeah, but it’s alright. I think it’s cute,” she reassures, sincerely.

There’s a brief silence, in which the both pairs of different shaded blue irises get locked into one another. Gary bites his inner lip and, for a moment, he starts second guessing himself— it’s true that he wouldn’t mind at all if he had to stick with this gorgeous girl for the rest of the summer, but at the same time he reckons that getting to know the other girls in here would be good too, especially for the sake of staying in the game. He doesn’t know how to tell Minni yet that he’d like to get to know everyone before making a decision. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t enjoy the endless cheekiness she has to offer in the meantime.

After a few seconds, the muscular man leans forward with a confident smile. “Now I feel like I gotta make it up to you for all the snoring,” he murmurs, flirty.

Minni takes the opportunity to reciprocate and gets closer to him, “What’s on your mind?”

Unexpectedly, Gary’s cheeky smirk turns into a naïve beam, “How about a blazing cuppa? You like tea, don’t you?”

His innocent proposal makes the physics student giggle, “Great idea. See you in the kitchen, then.”

  
  


**In the kitchen – Morning.**

Chloe saunters over to the stove and feels the pans heating up already. She hears the fridge open and, looking over her shoulder, she spots Dicky staring at the inside for ages, “Where’s the bacon? I could've sworn I’ve seen some earlier. I wasn’t that knackered coming over here.” 

She rolls her eyes at his impulsiveness. He’s most definitely not a morning person. “Steady on, Dicky. I’ve got it right here,” Chloe manages to multi-task and slides from one pan with the fried eggs and the other with the bacon. The tall raven-haired looms over from behind and he looks over at her preparation. He attempts to keep his cool but is stumped to see the musician put together his favourite type of breakfast. Dicky certainly doesn’t recall ever telling her about his meal preferences. 

Chloe briefly glances up at the tall Kent Islander and can clearly see his confused pout with slightly raised eyebrows. She imitates a similar frown and gives him a concerned expression, “Is something the matter?” 

A light groan escapes her mouth at the realisation that Dicky might not fancy what she’s making for them, “Oh no... Please tell me you’re okay with what I’m fixing up. Otherwise, you’re down your luck because I’m not—”

“Bacon better be crispy, mate.” Dicky throws her a knowing look and settles himself on one of the stools nearby. He rests his elbows against the surface of the table and catches himself intently observing the busied cellist. She has freshly washed brown locks all caught in a messy bun. Some soft curled hair strands draped near her ears. Even with her sloppy hairdo and no sign of makeup on her clear skin, she’s managed to remain gracefully beautiful with her colourful one-piece swimwear matching it with a transparent swimsuit cover up. 

Chloe scrunches her full lips into a playful smile and lifts an eyebrow at Dicky. It’s quite evident the silent man wanted to be discreet while ogling the brunette beauty, but she instantly felt his wandering sight all over her, “You alright there, Jason?” She teases. 

Dicky blinks out his internal bashfulness. He’s normally good at disguising his appreciation for the female physique but he can’t help but fully intake Chloe’s gentle curves. Both pairs of hazel eyes lock and there’s a flirtatious pause between the two. The young mechanic lets out a short chuckle and his partner is quick to join the laughter. He widens his charming smile and it crinkles the outer edges of his eyelids, “I’m alright, yeah...” 

Next to the classy cellist, Bobby is displaying all of his professional cooking skills by trying to teach a clueless Minni how to make the fanciest and tastiest omelettes someone could craft with the few ingredients available. As the pastry chef arranges different sets of spices and herbs on a cutting board, the physics student is playing with the pan, trying to flip the omelette by using just one hand.

“Minerva, I swear that if you drop one of my masterpieces—” Bobby starts saying, until the girl cuts him with a gesture.

“Chill out, Bobs. I got this,” she states, smirking. Confidently, the young woman makes a motion with her wrist to flip the food inside the pan, with just half of it landing on the correct side and turning its flat shape into a taco. “Ow,” she mumbles, regretful.

Bobby gasps, the sight of the messed-up meal hurting him almost on a physical level. “You didn’t,” he says, exaggeratedly. He practically runs from where he is, a wooden spoon in hand to fix his friend’s mistake. Skilfully, he manages to save the omelette. “There you go,” the Scottish sighs, alleviated.

Being stubborn as she is, Minni grabs the handle of the pan with a strong grip, “Let me try again.”

“Oh, don’t you even think about it, young lady,” the Scottish scoffs, jokingly. Suddenly, he has an idea and soon adopts some kind of hunched stance, leaning forward on the counter. He stares at the petite girl in front of him intensely. “You’re a disgrace. My gran could do better! And she’s dead!”

“Are those Gordon Ramsay quotes?” Minni chuckles, not fazed by his words and getting his impersonation straight away. If there’s a reason why she and Bobby clicked on the friendship aspect straight away is because they share a similar humour.

Without breaking character, Bobby frowns and holds back a laugh, “Yes, you panini head! I’ve never, ever, ever, ever met someone I believe in… as little as you!”

Now fully laughing at his acting, Minni stays in her place next to the frying area. She hugs her side with one arm, covering her mouth with one of her small hands to stop herself from laughing more. Her sudden giggles catch Dicky’s attention, from the other side of the kitchen. The brunet man squints at the scene, first finding irritating to see people being this chipper in mornings and making impressions and dumb jokes already, but soon Minni’s contagious cackles have the sides of his lips curling upwards slightly, something that even surprises himself. Feeling kind of weird by his involuntary reaction, the man shakes his head to clear his thoughts and does his best to ignore the pair of Islanders, labelling them as plain annoying inside his head.

Minni’s laugh has just stopped when Bobby gets closer with a weird attempt of a menacing attitude. One of his slender fingers points at her, his entire expression transforming in full-on Ramsay mode.

“Now get out of my kitchen!” The pastry chef orders. He fakes getting more outraged after just getting laughter and giggles from her end as a response, “Did you not hear what I just said? This crab is so undercooked I can still hear it singing ‘Under the Sea’!”

“We’re not even making crab, Bobby!” The blue-eyed girl frowns, getting mildly pissed but still being entertained by his eccentric impersonation. 

Still not breaking his performance, the man begins to push her away playfully, “Get out of my kitchen, you donkey!”

“Are you really kicking me out by using Gordon Ramsay phrases?” Minni whines, taking a few unwilling steps.

“Out! Out!” With that, he finally manages to get her away from his spot in the frying area. Reluctantly, the young woman walks to take a spot on the other end of the kitchen, while trying to disguise her smirk by faking a pout. She knows that Bobby will regret it and try to make her sous chef again later, and she’s planning on not giving him that privilege, or at least not until she sees him squirm a little.

Still in the frying area, Chloe quietly giggles as she tries not to let Bobby’s impressive Gordon Ramsay imitation distract her from burning the bacon and eggs. Otherwise, she’s not gonna hear the end of Dicky’s complaining. 

Once she finishes her preparation, the cellist makes her way over to Dicky and sits on the stool beside him. After settling down his designated plate in front of her partner, he angles his head to the side and puts a skeptical face at the eggs and bacon. The London girl can’t start on her meal until she sees the cranky man’s first impressions on her cooking. She will make sure he’ll get a piece of her mind if he harshly critiques it.

Dicky turns to see Chloe’s anticipated look on him and stares back at her for a moment, “I’m curious. Has Gary told you this is my favourite breakfast?” 

“Hah, that’s funny. I haven’t really spoken to your friend. Call it a coincidence?” Chloe effortlessly shrugs and picks up her fork. The girl is starving and can’t wait to dig in, “Might I have you know, this is my favourite breakfast.” 

His eyebrow arches to the new information; she’s got to be joking. There’s no way an extremely attractive city girl would like fatty foods. All Londoners he’s met tend to be snobby, self-centred, and picky, “Really? You look more like the type to eat all that healthy shit. You know, like most city birds do.” His long fingers grip onto the glass of orange juice and gulps in the citrusy beverage. 

The refined-looking woman leans back at Dicky’s comment and delivers an unsure look as she smiles, “Now I reckon that’s a bit prejudiced, wouldn’t you agree?” Chloe couldn’t tell if this bloke was flirting with her or not, but it was hilarious, nonetheless.

Dicky bites into the crunch of the salty bacon and smacks his mouth to each bite, completely ignoring her statement. He savours the lingering flavour of his food. There’s a breathy giggle coming from his side and it’s Chloe covering her mouth with her hand.

His jaw stops midway from his obnoxious chewing, “What?” He mumbles with his overfilled mouth.

Chloe puts her hands over her face as she can’t seem to control her laughter. She ultimately brings her face up to see Dicky utterly puzzled, “Are you really this crabby? First, your snoring almost competes with an opera singer I know back home. Second, you’re so difficult to wake up that it exhausts me. And lastly, your chewing is _loud_ , mate.” 

The Chatham native shoves more food into his mouth and purposely chews louder to annoy her. He playfully brings his face closer to the slim brunette and makes her cringe to the gruesome smacking sound of his lips. They share a quick chuckle at their banter until they sense Minni join their company.

“Woah, your flirting skills amaze me, Dicky.” Minni comments, sitting in front of him. The blue-eyed girl teases him by offering a sweet smile, that apparently is bound to be ironic. “Seriously, you’re such a gent.”

By responding with just a moody huff, the brunet man plans on focusing on wolfing down his recently made and still warm breakfast, but his hazel gaze inevitably goes back to the two girls, one in front of him and the other at his side. He already got to admire Chloe’s fresh morning appearance, so he just sneaks a small glance at his partner before his glare gets drawn towards Minerva, flicking a quick look a couple of times. The young woman is sweetly perched on a stool, looking oddly taller this way. Her freckled face catches his attention, followed by her glowy skin and permanent smile— it puzzles him to no end how she seems to be always in a good mood, this making him wonder if she has any hidden depths beneath her charming and light-hearted appearance. In any case, she seems to be the perfect partner for his mate: fit, _beautiful_ , overly chill and good-natured, he reckons.

For a moment and while he looks at the pair of brunette girls one more time, Dicky questions himself how these birds manage to look so _pretty_ in mornings, and where have they been during his entire dating life. Surely not fooling around late at night in his local at Chatham, because he doesn’t recall seeing this amount of natural beauty before. He almost feels unable to hide how baffled he is.

“Alright. Who else wants a cuppa?” Gary’s voice thunders across the kitchen. Instantly, the blond’s sight lands on his current partner, making him grin with enthusiasm. He doesn’t know how Minni got ready in such a short time; he swears down that she was dressed in her white, star-patterned pyjamas and fuzzy socks at the bedroom just a few minutes ago and now he sees her here at the kitchen sporting a deep blue swimming suit with matching sunglasses at the top of her head, all dressed for the day.

“Close your mouth, lad.” He hears his mate Dicky loudly whispering to him in a mocking manner and catching his attention straight away.

Mildly embarrassed, Gary turns to face him and decides to turn the tables on his teasing, directing the attention elsewhere other than him. “Oi, mate. It’s the first time I see you doing more than growling this early,” he comments, quirking an eyebrow, “What’s happened?”

“I think it’s because gorgeous Chloe made him brekkie,” Minni chants, tilting forward on the counter and wiggling her shoulders.

Chloe jokingly rolls her eyes and cocks her head at all three Islanders with a small smirk curls over her lips, “I wouldn’t call him ‘nice’. He was quick to order me around and tell me how to cook his bacon.” 

Gary raises his eyebrows and blinks a couple of times, his smile widening, “Mate, believe me. This is _nice_ Dicky. You wouldn’t like to see him in his usual bad early mood. He ain’t a morning person.”

“Are you sure he isn’t just a ‘morning person’?” Minni teases, batting her eyelashes as she pokes fun at him. “I’d say he isn’t, like, a ‘day person’. Or a ‘life person’, as in general.”

“Heh, very funny, Minerva,” Dicky responds, secretly hiding a smile caused by her witty comment.

Next to him, the musician’s eyebrows faintly twitch Gary’s comment and huffs out a compressed laughter, “Oh, I _know_ Mr. Sunshine over here isn’t exactly welcoming to the sunrise.”

Being more entertained than he should by seeing the girls tease his mate, the crane operator purses his lips, knowing that bursting on laughter would only make Dicky angrier and probably will fade away the good side Chloe managed to bring out in him by making him some tasty food. The blond busies himself on making his usual morning cuppa, alongside the one he promised to Minni. Whilst his brunet friend fumes in silence and chews loudly on his last pieces of bacon, Gary turns to his current partner with a concealed smile.

“How do you like your cuppas, love?” He asks the blue-eyed girl, being a gent by asking before adding anything to her beverage, just like his nan taught him to. “With honey, sugar, sweetener?”

The girl beams at his thoughtfulness, her freckled cheekbones being more noticeable when she has that expression on her face. “Sugar, please. Four,” she simply replies.

“Oka— wait, what?” The blond man's eyes open wide in horror, “You mean _four_ tablespoons?”

Minni answers with a nod, nonchalant and not making a big deal out of it. Gary can’t believe that this harmless-looking girl could commit such a big crime when preparing herself a cuppa. 

“Now that’s where all her sweetness comes from,” Dicky comments grumpily from where he is sitting.

After hearing him speak, the brunette physics student directs her blue sight towards him, smirking devilishly, “Was that a compliment, Emsworth?”

“Well, I— I…” The man in question stutters, not really knowing what to say in that instant. His jaw clenches as he suddenly feels all looks on him, especially Chloe, who watches with amused curiosity, “Don’t get ahead on yourself. I was just pointing out the obvious,” he finishes saying, turning his head to look somewhere else. “Why are you three having a go at me anyway? Go entertain yourselves with something else and let me finish my bacon in peace.”

Then, Chloe hops off the stool and can sense the genuine irritation coming from her partner. She lands her hand on Dicky’s tense shoulder and hopes he understands that it’s just all banter, “Don’t worry, hun. I was about to leave either way. Enjoy your food!” Her big golden eyes shift to her occupied friend slurping her cup of tea and wincing at how tasteless it is without her usual dose of sugar. “You wanna leave these boys, Minni? We can have a chat at the daybeds, if you’d like,” she suggests with a smile gracing her cheeks. 

“What a great idea, Chloe,” Minni responds with a light voice tone, easygoing as always. She’s quick to add four tablespoons of sugar on her recently made cuppa, stir it a little and, before standing up, sneaks a glance at Dicky to make sure he’s not truly pissed off.

“I can’t believe you just put four tablespoons in there,” Gary sighs at her, almost disappointed.

“Well, I like my things sweet.” The blue-eyed girl stands up for herself, looking up to meet his sight. She picks up her cuppa proudly and prepares to head to where Chloe has sauntered to. “That’s why I picked you in the first place,” she finishes with a playful wink, before exiting the kitchen.

Gary opens his mouth to shoot back a cheeky reply, but no words come out. Instead, he turns beetroot red, only to embarrass himself in front of her and in front of his mate. Next to him, Dicky grits his teeth so as to not to laugh straight away, waiting for the interaction to end before he can tease his mate about it. He already knew Minni has good banter and is overall flirty, but never expected her to be up to a level to match Gary’s cheekiness to the point of cutting him off.

Minni stifles a laugh when she notices her partner’s reaction, “See you later, boys!”

Her incredibly tall platforms hit the decking with chunky noises despite her steps being light, her petite frame getting further away as she walks towards the daybeds to meet her friend Chloe. They boys’ stares follow her attentively until she’s eventually out of sight.

“I guess birds don’t like it when you criticise their cuppa preferences,” Dicky tells Gary, tilting his head and mocking fake pity towards his mate.

The crane operator turns to give him a poisonous look, internally blaming him and his cranky attitude for scaring the girls away, “You’re saying it like if having them leave was my fault.”

  
  


**In the daybeds – Morning.**

Both brunettes crawl onto the bed. Chloe lets out a satisfying sigh as she leans her back against the headboard. She stretches her silky-looking legs and crosses her ankles. As much as the sun has an inviting warmth, she’s grateful for the shade the daybeds’ roof offers. The older dark-haired cellist turns her attention to Minni and gives her a curious grin.

“So… did my eyes deceive me, or did I see you snogging Gary last night?” She asks eagerly. There’s no way she could keep her question bottled up for too long. She’s already waited all morning to blurt it out.

“How did you—?” The younger Islander starts asking but shuts up when she notices the way Chloe is looking at her, and she realises that the cellist knows perfectly what happened. “Oh, nevermind.” The blue-eyed sighs, crossing her milky-white legs in front of her. “Yes, we snogged. We felt like it,” she confesses with a shrug, trying to downplay the situation.

Chloe’s grin gets bigger at the confirmed details and covers her mouth with a pillow to quietly squeal, “Ah, I knew it! You can’t just keep that to yourself, babes. Spill! How was he?”

“Oh, my days, Chloe, I’m not gonna…” Her friend starts saying, but then pauses. “Alright, I’ll spill just a little. And just this time,” she tells her.

The interested musician scoots closer and positions for a clearer hearing. Just as secretive, Minni leans forward and speaks in a quiet voice. 

“He’s a _great_ kisser. Seems like he has quite the experience, too,” the student whispers, not knowing how she manages not to blush at the thought of her kiss with Gary. “And he was an absolute gent. That’s all I’m gonna say for now.”

 _Damn_. Chloe still has no idea how Minni’s managed to gain that amount of courage to kiss someone who’s practically a stranger. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with casual snogs here and there. Hell, even Chloe’s had them before but in a place like Love Island, she feels more comfortable taking things slow and getting to know the boys instead. There’s a certain approach she needs to take to make this game work and to protect herself from anything. After all, she’s here to try to find love and kissing Dicky isn’t exactly something she’s thinking about doing any time soon. 

The older brunette leans back and gives Minerva a stunned expression, “Mate, it seems like you two get along quite well. I reckon you’ll stick with him?” 

Contrary to what the cellist expected of her, the blue-eyed girl blinks in doubt. “I’m not sure yet, if I’m honest. I guess sticking to one person so early in this game thingy could be, like, dangerous? You know, I could get dumped if he changes his mind all of the sudden. Not that I don’t trust him, but I don’t know him that much either,” she explains. “Anyway, it’s just a snog. Those things barely mean anything sometimes, so maybe he felt nothing.”

The London girl silently nods in semi-agreement, “I dunno, Minni. A kiss can mean _something_ to Gary. Something tells me he’s gone quite comfortable with you, hun. You’ll see, it will work out with him.” Her tone of voice softens with reassurance. 

Pouting slightly, the Cantabrigian lets out a sigh and leaves her cuppa on the floor next to her. “You’re right. I reckon I should talk with him about it. I wanna know where’s his head at, cos he seems like a very open and honest bloke, but I have the feeling that he also wouldn’t want to get attached so soon. He looks like he goes along with the flow, just like me, and maybe that’s why we’re getting along so well in such a short time,” the girl responds, taking her dark blue sunglasses between her hands and fiddling with them. “As I said, I’m still not sure. I like him, but I wanna get to know everyone, too.”

Minni still doesn’t know how to tell her friend that she came here with no major expectations of finding _the one_. She’s surely not dreaming of finding Prince Charming on a reality TV show, unlike Hannah, for example. She sees the possibility of a long-term relationship coming out of this as a plus, something that could happen but that she knows it’s almost impossible; she likes to keep things down to earth most of the time.

The physics student applied to Love Island because she needed a distraction, some kind of escape from her life, who had started to become unexciting and unchanging. Between studying all day and partying all night, draining exams and paper reviews, needy one-night stands and drunken party hook-ups that did nothing but to satisfy her momentarily and up her body count, she felt that something was missing, and when she came to the conclusion that part of it was just meeting new people and experiencing unexpected things, she decided to do something about it. She’s an easy-going, happy-go-lucky girl, so she came here just hoping to have lots of fun, make new friends and, if she’s lucky, find a nice summer fling, a good-hearted lad who she can trust and spend her time with here; she’d be over the moon if she could make someone feel happy and loved even if it’s just during this summer. Despite this, she’s surely not planning on catching feelings this early in the game and now is starting to get worried that she could end up leading Gary on if he wants to stick with her too soon— the less she wants to do is to hurt anyone. Perhaps cutting the possibility of more kisses with him until she figures out if they’re on the same page could be a good idea.

Chloe’s fingers grip onto her personalised water bottle and rests her chin on top of the closed cap. She remains silent in thought of her situation with Dicky. Everything seems to be fine for now. Their banter is surely there, the casual flirting lingers, but she’s uncertain if he’ll be the guy to stick with or not. It’s only day two and she hates that she’s got to worry about Priya perhaps stealing him from her, even when there’s no established romance with Dicky.

This entire Love Island concept could be well annoying sometimes. She refuses to force any feelings on someone she’s just met; that’s just not how things work. Besides, she was never going to come over and join the cast in the first place. Her knobhead mates back home wouldn’t leave her alone until she’d accept the production team’s proposal. For weeks, Chloe deleted emails from the production team until one of her closest friends found out about the offer. She couldn’t have them shut up about it until she accepted and that’s when she knew she signed up for disaster. All she can expect from this place is just having a good time, making good friends like Minni, and just seeing how long she’ll last in this bloody place. 

The theatrical performer lightly drums her small fingers over her cheek and looks over at the astrophysics student, “Have you fancied anyone else other than Gary?” She asks curiously.

“Oi, Minerva!” Bobby’s voice can be heard from near them. He appears at the corner of the daybeds area with a sheepish smile, “I didn’t really mean to kick you out permanently, you know…”

The blue-eyed girl grins internally. _I knew it_ , she thinks, deciding to play with him a little bit. Faking being annoyed by his request, she raises an eyebrow, “Mind us, Bobs? We’re having a girls' chat here.”

“Fine. I’ll be in the kitchen in the meantime!” The Scottish announces, before walking away.

After the interruption, Minni takes a second to think about her answer. “What were we… oh, right. Well, all of the guys are really handsome,” she starts, putting on her expensive-looking sunglasses. “Maybe Rocco? I mean, I’m not sure if I fancy him because he seems to be extra flirty with me, because I feel truly attracted to him or if it’s just because I like making jokes about his _one with the universe_ attitude.” The girl giggles at the thought, “But I’m not worrying about that for now, you know. I think I’ll figure out… hopefully.”

From across the lawn, Chloe spots Rocco swimming in the pool and laughing with some of the boys. Without losing sight of the young man, she nods to Minni’s confession, “He _was_ giving you that smoulder look in the morning.” She lightly laughs and looks back at the freckled girl, “I just hope Lottie doesn’t throw a fit with him grafting on you, it’s still early days.” 

“Oh, mate. She seems like the type of girl who would blame _me_ for having him trying to graft me.” The younger girl sighs, a little worried because she hates confrontation and conflict in general. After that, she shakes her head to try and not think about it too much.

“You know, the omelettes are turning out real tasty!” Bobby sneaks on the daybeds again, with a grin on his face. “I bet you’re _dying_ to be my sous chef, Minerva,” he chants.

The young woman can barely hold back a smile but decides to stick to her game. After a quick pause, she invokes her inner Dicky and puts on a poker face, “Oh, my days, Bobby. We’re talking important stuff here.”

“I bet it’s not _that_ important, come on.” He insists with a smirk, trying to convince her, “The omelettes are ‘egg-squisite’ so far. I just need someone to help me.”

Then, Minni rolls her eyes. “Wait a minute, babes,” she says, a faint giggle almost betraying her façade. “Shoo!”

With a defeated groan, the pastry chef drags his feet towards the kitchen once more. The girls exchange a knowing look, Chloe having already figured out that Minni is just giving her Scottish friend a small lesson for having kicked her out of the frying area. 

The student smooths her wavy hair before picking up their previous subject of conversation. “How about you, babes? Are you planning on sticking with Dicky?” She asks then, staring at her with attention and genuine interest in how things are going for her new friend.

Chloe sucks in a deep breath and roughly exhales through her nostrils, “Well, Dicky’s really fit, no doubt about that. Despite his crankiness, we do seem to get along but I dunno. I do think of myself as a patient person but dealing with Dicky’s grumpiness is not for me, hun.”

To her surprise, Minni giggles at her comment, “Oh my days, Chloe. That boy’s moodiness is the best part of him, in my opinion. I reckon messing with Dicky could become a hobby for me. Like solving math equations.”

The confused cellist shrinks a displeased look on her face and blinks at Minni’s response, “Mate, I don’t mess with math equations. Never liked them, never will.”

“Babes, you’re just saying that because you haven’t tried reverse triangle inequalities or Cantor’s Theorem yet. They’re lush.” The blue-eyed girl winks, stretching backwards on the daybed, her lean body apparently relaxing as she talks about _math_ , which is strange to her friend, to say the least, “Maybe even some linear systems or Eigenvalue problems could do it for you."

Chloe stares at Minerva for a second and the grotesque visualisation of math and lightly shudders. She scrunches her upper lip and shakes her head, “Mmm, no thanks. I prefer reciting Mozart’s classic string quartet number 14 in G major— Or Schubert’s Schwanengesang number 4 in D minor. Now _that’s_ what I call entertainment. Those men are geniuses.” The Londoner lets out a sigh of contentment. Until now she’s realised how much she’s missed playing music, “I’ll leave all that physics stuff to you.” Chloe lightly laughs out to see Minni’s equally confused look on her face with the music gibberish. She couldn’t blame the blue-eyed girl to feel dazed about it; twenty-one-year olds typically don’t voluntarily listen to classical music out of enjoyment. 

“What about some Taylor Series, huh?” The Cantabrigian insists after a pause, with an enthusiastic beam and somehow hoping that the cellist will want to catch up on math with her, since she doesn’t have anyone to talk to about it in this place.

Despite how happy the younger girl looks talking about the subject, the Londoner just stares at her, clueless, “Like Taylor Swift?” She asks, thinking that they’re still speaking about music.

“No, Chloe,” Minni whines, a small pout in her face, “Taylor _Series_. The formula that shows how to express an analytic function in terms of its derivatives, you know. It’s well pretty and I could teach you sometime. I know you will like it.” She offers, kindly.

“I dunno what’s worse: hearing more about this Taylor Series or sparing my ears for Taylor Swift’s generic music.” She squints her eyes out of the distasteful options. 

“Did someone say Taylor Swift?” Bobby interrupts yet again. He gets closer to the girls hurriedly, a huge hopeful smile plastered on his face, and speaks to Minni next, “Listen, Mins. I know I was a _little_ rude by kicking you out of the kitchen like that, but it was just banter—”

“Aw, Bobby. I know,” the girl giggles, not being able to keep her front longer, less when he’s already beginning to apologise. “Of course I’ll keep cooking with you.”

The Scottish sighs in relief. “Great! Now would you like to be my sous chef again?”

Minni lets out a small chuckle. “Sure,” she says. Then, she stands up and adjusts her sunglasses in a quick motion, her big platforms making a small stomp sound on the floor, “Babes, I’ll finish those omelettes and we could catch up later, yeah?” The blue-eyed girl tells Chloe.

“Later, guys!” The cellist exclaims with a bright smile, as she watches the younger Islanders head to the frying area. From where she is sitting, she can faintly hear Bobby starting to enthusiastically sing a Taylor Swift song, and is thankful for not having followed them towards the kitchen.

**At the lawn – Noon.**

Under the radiant sunshine, the pair of Kent boys relax and stretch their muscular legs out over the sun loungers. Right about now, they’d be heading back home from their respective work routines but instead, they’re basically on holiday doing absolutely nothing and comfortably leaning down on comfortable loungers in front of an infinity pool.

Gary sighs out of remembrance of his nan’s distinguishable home cooked meals. He has just come to the realisation that he bloody misses her cooking, and they haven’t been apart for too long, “I could really go for one of nan’s dinner roasts right now.” 

Dicky’s glare takes an instant glimmer to the sound of Gary’s nan’s food and he can almost taste the delicacy. He groans out of frustration, “Argh, it doesn’t help to remind ourselves that we’re in Spain.” 

The blond and brunet men exchange a saddened glance and Dicky matches the same longing sigh that his friend has done earlier. They keep a disheartening silence and mentally torture themselves imagining the flavour of Gary’s nan food. It’s unbelievable that they’ll be missing out on those Sunday dinners for more than a whole month.

“Oi! But look at us, bruv. We’re literally living in paradise, huh? We chat up our birds, graft on them, party at night, and repeat.” Gary tries his best to wash away them feeling a little homesick and lays out the plenty of positives of being in the Villa, “Especially when we’re coupled up with the fittest girls in here.” Already with the thought of their current girls, he wonders about Dicky’s opinion, “Thoughts on Minni, mate? I bet she’s already a fan favourite on the telly,” Gary asks with an easy smile on his face. His tone of voice matches his enthused bright blue eyes at the new topic. He leans towards the taller man’s direction, interested to hear his opinion.

Dicky looks overall unamused. Without difficulty, his mysterious stare locates the younger woman as she’s engaged in a conversation with the newest girl, Priya. From this angle, he can distinguish the usual perkiness of Minni’s personality as she tries to make the new girl feel welcome, even when she’s competition and there’s the possibility she could recouple with Gary today. His hazel sight follows the brunette’s hands motioning amiably, while she apparently explains something confidently— she saw her making the same enthusiastic gestures and her orbs glowing even under today’s daylight when she was chatting to Gary about _science stuff._

The mechanic tilts his head to mentally list his opposing traits and notices that this girl is almost the complete contrary of who he’s expecting to date, or the girls he’s been with in the past, yet he thinks she’s fun to be around and to hang out with. He could tell his mate what he really thinks of her, that she’s extremely attractive and very pleasing to the eye but immediately demolishes his admiration towards the freckled woman and replaces it with his wittiness. “She’s so sweet she could cause me diabetes,” he declares with his classic poker face.

“Isn’t that good? When a bird is sweet?” The crane operator questions. Gary can’t tell if he is complimenting Minni or not. 

The brunet raises an eyebrow at him. Dicky wouldn’t hear the end of Minni if Gary tells her he’s said something nice about her. “You think having diabetes is good?” He snickers at another clever comeback.

His response just makes Gary shake his head and roll his eyes. It’s not new to see Jason so smug when talking about anyone; it’s almost hard to not be targeted by the mechanic, but he’s been exceptionally tough on Minerva and his blond mate can’t understand why. Sure, she teases him a lot and it causes Dicky to want the upper hand but so does Chloe and, on the contrary, he laughs it off. _What a weird lad,_ Gary thinks.

“You’re just being prickly, lad. As always.” There’s a reassuring gesture in the crane operator’s voice while he can’t help but adore the bubbly characterization in Minni. “She’s lovely,” he adds, his gaze landing on her.

During today’s breakfast, he got to marvel at her explaining lots of things about celestial bodies, physics, math and biology. He reckons this bird seems to know about a bit of everything related to science— she’s so schooled he can’t imagine why or how she ended up in this place, but he’s also glad she’s here. The Chathamite couldn’t picture this Villa without Minerva in it, without her shiny outfits, enormous blue eyes and light voice always up to pick up a chat with whoever wants to have a word with her, even if it’s something random like what started her star-talk during breakfast. This girl appears to be carrying around the energy of the entire place within her petite figure, so no wonder she’s talked to pretty much everyone already. The crane operator would never tell his mate, but he’s sure Dicky’s younger sister has taken a liking of Minni after watching the first episode of the show.

Thinking of his options, the blond man is positive that he’d like to stick with someone like Minerva, but the idea that they’re immersed in a bloody contest makes him doubt and want to go safe, which is getting to know the rest of the girls first and get his graft on; he still has to pull the blue-eyed girl for a chat to let her know that he wants to keep his options open.

“Yeah, whatever,” Dicky shrugs at his infatuated response, although he finds it nice that his mate is happy and comfortable with his partner. “So you planning on sticking with her?”

The mechanic surely didn’t expect his muscular friend to look doubtful as he ponders his question. He knows Gary very well and is used to seeing him jumping to big commitments when he truly likes a bird. Hell, they even kissed last night, so it’s strange for him to see him unsure.

“I reckon I wanna get to know everyone first before deciding who I want to stick with,” the younger man responds. “This thing is a contest, after all. So, it’s likely lots of new lads will arrive before it ends and she could get her head turned.” A small portion of air escapes his nostrils in frustration at the uncertainty.

Always aiming to be a good mate and to watch out for Gary, Dicky leans forward to speak quietly in order to give him some advice. “I’ll tell you what, mate,” the brunet says secretly. “I’ve definitely seen Rocco having an eye on her,” he states, pointing out at the curly-haired Islander, who has just approached Minni and Priya. They watch him sit next to them and quickly give the younger girl a smoulder and a flirty look, that she doesn’t seem to notice. Next, Dicky points out at the edge of the pool at another group of people, “I reckon Bobby does too. Maybe Ibrahim.”

Gary doesn’t try to hide his heavy sigh, “You’re giving me a true pep talk here, lad.”

The crane operator has felt quite happy with Minni and he’s not the jealous type whatsoever. In fact, he admires how approachable the blue-eyed girl is and likes that others feel comfortable enough to chat her up; she’s the perfect mixture of social and chill he’s been looking for. And, honestly, he is glad that the rest of the Islanders also appreciate all those sweet qualities of hers so far. Just now, the blond notices that Bobby seems to have taken an immediate liking to the attractive student but, considering it’s early days, it’s understandable if the Scottish lad is trying to get to know her. Gary shakes off the overthinking and regains his confidence on his current status with Minni. He reckons their cheeky banter has been consistent along with their flirting, so there’s the chance all of this could keep strengthening.

Beside him, Jason nonchalantly shrugs his broad shoulders and can only keep reminding himself that they’re not safe from their couples, no matter how close they’re getting to their partners, “Just being realistic, Rennell,” he responds with accuracy to his words and exhales the upcoming stress of possibly being stolen by Priya. She seems like a lovely girl, but Dicky wants to continue staying with Chloe for now. “The competition is fierce.”

Both friends keep a brief silence as they observe the rest of the Islanders’ interactions from afar. In a composed motion, Dicky pulls his sunglasses near the tip of his nose to get a better view of the pool. He squints at the sunlight beams overcasting his face and catches sight of Chloe smiling out a laugh at whatever Bobby and Ibrahim are telling her.

Without losing sight of his current partner, he speaks out loud, “It’s weird to me, really. I haven’t seen any other lad try to graft on Chloe.” His head follows the sounds of Gary's instant laughter. The mechanic’s slitted dark eyebrow arches upwardly and still can’t see the humour in what he’s just mentioned, “What the fuck is so funny, bruv? It's proper weird that she’s not getting much attention considering how fit she is.” 

Gary shakes his head at his close friend and resonates to a lingering chuckle, “Mate, _you’re_ the one scaring those lads away. They can’t even throw an innocent pickup line at poor Chloe cos they think you’ll turn them into stone if you glare at them.”

After taking in his comment, Jason curls his mouth into a smug smirk and looks back at Chloe's direction. She’s swinging her legs in the pool's water and has remained entertained by the two younger men. He knows it’s not completely fair to his current partner but part of him likes that no one has dared to approach her yet.

“Heh, good.” His pleased green-hazel eyes direct towards Gary, adjusting his steel-coloured cap over his head full of dark locks and sinks more into his seat, “Suits them to stay away. She’s too woman for them, mate.”

The blond crane operator keeps his friend’s last sentence in his head and shifts his sight to Dicky’s gorgeous partner: now both Kent native men observing the musician. He sets his stare on her and views Chloe rearranging her side braid but she’s still attentive to what Bobby and Ibrahim are talking about. He shifts to the pair of younger men floating within the waves of water. Unconsciously, Gary winces at the thought of either of those two being fancied by Chloe and quite frankly, he can’t see it either. Dicky’s right; Bobby nor Ibrahim seem like they could handle someone like her. She carries an extraordinary aura and surely needs a man that elevates the same energy.

“Too right, bruv. I reckon Chloe’s is a bit posh for an ordinary lad’s taste. I dunno how you keep up with her. Even when I hear her speak, she sounds a little out of place next to the other birds here.” Gary scratches the side of his head and looks down at his navy-blue trunks.

Dicky turns to his friend and examines Gary’s odd silence after blurting out his opinion on her. His long fingers gently rub on his dark stubble as an attempt to hide his growing grin. Dicky can’t help but think, _Is this bloke intimidated by Chloe?_

The mechanic continues to linger his stare on the muscly spiky-haired man, “An ordinary lad like you?” Jason teases his younger friend and breathes out a faint chuckle after witnessing Gary’s thick eyebrows lower and rolls his annoyed blue eyes. The dark-haired mechanic cuts his amusement to see Gary not following along with the banter. Rather, the blond man crosses his arms over his bare chest and remains strangely quiet to the comment, “Mate, she’s actually really easy to talk to. I’ll admit, my first impression of her was the same. I thought we’d be in two different worlds when trying to keep up with a chat but she’s a very sincere and humble girl. I can even say she’s sort of odd— but like, the cute odd.”

Unconvincingly, Gary corners his frown to the side and shakes his head, “Nah, mate. I don’t believe you.” There’s a small smile creeping over his golden facial hair, not being able to imagine Dicky’s girl the way she’s being described; it almost seems impossible. “You’re throwing her a lot of compliments. I’m convinced you’re _really_ liking her,” the younger man playfully wiggles his eyebrows and nudges his mate’s bare torso.

Dicky grumbles under his breath at the teasing but eventually gives in. Fine, he’ll admit it. Chloe is growing on him and he has no bloody clue why. Perhaps it’s because of their similar humour or because she easily challenges him on who can eat the fattiest foods. She’s definitely left quite the impression and wants to continue getting to know her.

His trail of thought gets interrupted by Hannah’s voice calling near them, at the lawn. “Guys! I got a text!” She exclaims. “My first missive from our Island Overlords!” the girl adds. 

Gary’s sight goes instantly to look at his grumpy friend and, as expected, he sees him roll his eyes with annoyance.

  
  


**In the kitchen – Afternoon.[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kckZ-CLq8Zc)**

“Alright, let’s try again. And _please_ don’t compare me to anything food related until we’re far in the conversation.” Minni’s soft and jokey tone can be heard in the kitchen, while she’s talking to Bobby. Right after finishing her quote, an easy chuckle gets caught in her throat. She reckons that some girls don’t actually feel initial attraction when someone says that their outfit is ´fan-toast-ic’ first thing in the chat; if he wants to make his food comments, he can do it when he’s more comfortable, rather than just spitting them out.

“Yeah, let me just—” He stutters, fumbling with the ends of his shirt. He opens his mouth to speak and then closes it, furrowing his brow instead of letting out words. Next, he scrunches his nose in frustration, “Oh, dammit. I forgot what I was going to say.”

With newfound curiosity, Dicky listens to their peculiar conversation as he enters the kitchen with his usual weighty steps. The entire place has a warm mood, and he can’t identify if it’s because of the excessively bright Spanish sunlight he still hasn’t gotten used to yet or the presence of the two friends, who are by far the _happiest_ people in this place, or if it’s just because most of the tension on him has washed down after Priya didn’t pick him to couple up with.

His hazel sight scans the pair before turning his attention elsewhere, not really wanting to meddle. Minni is sitting cross-legged on top of the counter and Bobby is on a stool in front of her, a polite and friendly distance between them. The girl is wearing the same deep blue swimming suit as before, but with a see-through dress on top that accentuates her small curves, and Bobby is wearing a very exuberant purple patterned shirt, which contrasts with his darker skin. Without saying a word, Dicky opens the fridge and pulls out some leftovers from lunch; his features light up when looking at the huge bowl of pasta that he’s sure nobody will notice it’s gone later on— not that he cares too much if someone gets mad. Not so patiently and with his usual unquenchable appetite, he microwaves it.

“It’s fine, take your time.” He can hear Minni’s light voice over the sound of the microwave. “It’s better that you mess up practicing with me than with your actual partner,” the blue-eyed girl reassures the pastry chef, adjusting herself on top of the counter.

Her words make Dicky raise his thick eyebrow, not quite having a clue of what they could be talking about. As soon as the microwave beeps and his pasta is warm and ready to eat, he draws his attention to them. “What are you two up to?” The brunet man asks, bringing his bowl with him whilst he gets closer.

Before answering his question, Minni’s blue orbs go straight to Dicky’s copious food and finds it odd that he’s planning on eating that much at this time of the day, but since she saw him devouring nearly three normal-sized breakfasts this morning she guesses that it’s not weird of him. Next, she looks at Bobby, asking for permission to tell Dicky what they’re doing, because she’s not sure if the Scottish wants other people to know about his insecurity.

After Priya recoupled with Ibrahim, Bobby decided to give Hannah an opportunity, even though he’s not feeling any type of attraction towards her. Just then, the pastry chef found himself not knowing how to approach her and start flirting as he should do in said scenario. Later, he concluded that what always happens to him when he meets pretty girls, with this being starting to babble out words, jokes or phrases without thinking, could terminate in him messing up his chances of staying in the game and finding a partner in here. He doesn’t want to end up saying something that could be misinterpreted and scare girls away or have to use some weird tactic like when he pretended to lose his wallet so the girl would call him back— he’s ready to step up on his game. Because of this, he resorted on asking Minni for help.

Yesterday, after the Truth or Dare challenge, both shared a nice chat at the lawn and, not so surprisingly, clicked immediately on a friendship level. The light-hearted student inspired instant trust in Bobby; she’s one of the most reassuring people he’s ever met and she’s so easy to talk to, so receptive to other people’s feelings that he felt that he could tell her anything. This ended with him opening up about his struggles on talking to girls and how nervous he gets when trying to flirt with them. Seeing this, and taking note that it truly affected him, Minni kindly gave him some good advice and offered help in case he needed it in the future.

So, when Bobby found himself trapped in nervousness, he went straight to the blue-eyed brunette to ask for guidance. He reckons she’s very good at flirting and seems to have plenty of experience, plus he’s thankful that she actually has had to approach girls before, because she swings both ways. Noticing that Minni expects him to allow her to tell Dicky, Bobby simply gives her a nod.

Subsequently, Minni offers a smile and then turns to Dicky. “Bobby’s trying to make things work with Hannah, so I’m teaching him how to approach girls without getting too nervous,” she responds, maintaining the corners of her lips upturned.

“That sounds interesting,” Dicky smirks. Inquisitive, he sits next to them and eats a huge mouthful of pasta. While he chews and reflects about what the young woman just said, a bit of worrisome crosses his expression. He surely did not expect someone as noisy as Bobby to be timid grafting on a girl, “You really get nervous, lad?”

The Scottish nods, his shoulders slumped. He takes a moment to speak, “I could actually use your advice too, mate.”

Quite surprised by his request, Dicky’s hazel-emerald eyes open wide for a split second. As much as he would like to eat his food without anybody bothering him, he can’t deny help when a mate is asking, even if he’s competition. He feels like his empath side inevitably comes to surface whenever someone is struggling, and he can’t turn his back on them and mind his own business like he usually does. He is often a temperamental asshole, but he’s not heartless. “Mine? Oh, sure,” the Chathamite shrugs, being cool about it.

Still sitting on top of the counter in front of him, Minni blinks a couple of times, actually astounded by hearing Dicky being willing to give Bobby some advice. She gets somewhat concerned about what kind of advice he could give to her friend, since she recalls seeing the mechanic chewing loudly on purpose just to annoy Chloe this morning and yesterday’s dance with him didn’t end on a very pleasant note. Anyway, she can’t help but think that maybe Dicky does have sympathy under that frost attitude and cranky exterior, after all. 

“So… how do you usually approach girls?” The pastry chef asks Dicky.

Confidently, the raven-haired mechanic leaves his food at one side and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Straightening his back, he starts speaking. “Right. Picture this: local pub at Chatham, late at night. You are on a night out with your lads and see a group of fit birds next to the bar,” he narrates, gesturing with his large hands. His look directs to the other end of the kitchen, simulating that he’s genuinely looking at a bunch of girls far away at the bar. After a few seconds of intensely staring at the distance, he edges his seat towards Minni, who is at his same height because she’s sitting on the counter, his stare landing on her, “You get close and spot the one you fancy the most and you go…” Following that, he gives her a look that could boil anyone’s insides in a second; Dicky doesn’t even have to simulate a smoulder or put on a face, as his piercing eyes do all the work for him. The girl does her best not to look surprised and flustered while he makes a quick pause before continuing. “Alright?” he finishes, his already deep voice lowering a few decibels, and purposefully maintaining eye contact.

Right after that, there’s just silence for several seconds.

“And then?” Bobby asks, confused.

Just then Dicky breaks character and shrugs, looking uninterested and unamused as always, “That’s it.”

Satisfied by his demonstration and deeming it as enough, the Chathamite returns to his food. Meanwhile, Bobby gives him a puzzled look. Once she recovers from Dicky’s powerful stare, Minni sighs heavily and gives the brunet man a glare. She knew that lad wouldn’t give useful advice, or at least something Bobby could use.

“Of course that works for you, Dicky.” The physics student rolls her eyes, “You have this entire bad boy aura going on.” She adds, gesturing at his frame with her tiny hands. For a moment, she notices that he looks pleased that she addressed his characteristic image and demeanour, “Bobby would look weird if he tried to do that.”

The pastry chef frowns at her comment, “Hey, I could pull that off if I act like a bad boy.”

“I’m sure you could, babes, but you don’t have to act like someone else to get a girl,” Minni replies, sincerely. She’d feel torn if Bobby ended up with someone who didn’t see the sweet qualities he has in him. “That’s not how it should be. The connection you make with someone else has to come along with genuine and natural interaction, or else they wouldn’t be dating _you_.”

In front of her, Dicky stops munching to ponder her words. He never expected Minni to be so mature and sound about things, as he’s mostly seen her fooling around and being a social butterfly. These are the hidden depths he was wondering about this morning, and reckons Gary will be fine in the hands of a girl who is well grounded and thinks like this— his mate needs someone like that around. Dicky is sincerely glad that his mate also got to stay with his initial partner, instead of being pulled apart from her.

“Exactly. They must like you just the way you are.” Dicky decides to agree with her, maybe for the first time since they met, “If not, it’s their loss, bruv.”

Glad that the distant mechanic acknowledged that she’s in the right, Minni nods. She’s ready to continue helping Bobby and is determined to do whatever it takes to give him the tools to stay in the show and to make things work with whoever he wants.

“Okay, let’s try this. You could start the conversation with a compliment,” Minni suggests, her bright eyes focusing on her friend. Making compliments is dead easy for her, as she tends to see the best in people before anything else. They’re like a second language for her, after her family’s usual Romanian, of course. “I’ll help you come up with one. Name a thing you like about Hannah.”

Bobby starts thinking, his lips scrunched as he looks at the ceiling. A few seconds pass and his hand flies to stroke his chin, and then he begins to drum his large fingers on his cheek. The blue-eyed girl stares at him attentively, patiently waiting for an answer. The only sound heard in the kitchen are Dicky’s obnoxious chomps.

“Come on, Bobs. Anything?” Minni pouts after realizing that he’s taking too long to think.

Not knowing what to say, Bobby looks at Dicky for help. Feeling his urging gaze, the older man looks up from his plate and swallows a large amount of pasta.

“Don’t look at me, mate. I’m not good at compliments,” the green-eyed Chathamite shrugs.

A mischievous smirk forms in Minni’s glossy lips, remembering how douchey he acted last night and up to take every opportunity she has to rub it on his face. “Go figure,” the girl teases him, leaning forward.

The dark-haired man just responds by throwing her an icy look in an attempt to maintain his image; if he answered with a proper comeback, he knows that it’s inevitable that an equal smile will appear on his poker face, and he’s not willing to show Minni that he genuinely enjoys her constant poking and banter. Trying to get the idea out of his mind, he refuses to accept that he’s starting to have _fun_ just by the expectation of what she’s going to tease with him next.

Unexpectedly, Bobby comes up with an idea, his facial expression lighting up, “I think I got it.” The honey-eyed Islander smiles, “Hannah smells nice. Like the vintage store where I buy the flower-shaped marzipan for my cakes.”

“That’s oddly specific,” Dicky comments, raising an eyebrow.

Still sitting before him, Minni beams, her cheekbones raising along with the corners of her mouth. Her long and curved eyelashes flutter. “We can work with that,” she says, contented. Next, she takes a while to think and then looks at Bobby once more. “Let’s act a scenario. Imagine that I’m you, and that you’re Hannah,” she begins.

The Scottish purses his lips. “Can Dicky be Hannah? So I can watch before having to do the entire thing,” he proposes, feeling a little insecure.

Despite Dicky’s ever dismissing attitude, Minni doesn’t have a problem working with him so Bobby can learn better. Her inviting gaze goes right to him, kindly waiting for an answer.

Although her gracious blue eyes being this persistent make Dicky’s heart do a somersault, he won’t give in to the girl’s wishes— not like last night. “Hell no, I don’t wanna be that Hannah chick,” he rejects, his mouth full of pasta and tomato sauce.

The Cantabrigian’s face falls. “But Dicky,” she whines. “Just pretend for a minute.”

“Nah, mate. I can’t be bothered,” the man quickly responds. He plans on avoiding her pleading look when he catches her sight for a mere second. She has already put that _goddamn_ puppy face again and now he can’t look elsewhere. It confuses him to no end on how he’s not able to say no to her. A moment passes before he chooses to give in _just a bit_. “Can I be you instead?” he asks with a deep sigh.

Even when she already got him to cooperate, Minni maintains her requesting expression on him. “No, because it won’t work well that way,” she replies. “You said you weren’t good at compliments. I have to be Bobby so I can teach him how to compliment girls.”

“Wait, who is who again?” Bobby inquires, truly perplexed.

“I’m going to be you. Dicky is going to be Hannah,” the physics student states, resolute.

The dark-haired man knits his eyebrows together, “I thought I was gonna be you.” He puzzledly points at Minni.

“I thought I was Bobby,” the pastry chef says, even more confused now.

Realizing that everyone’s got their roles mixed now and that her flirting class will probably not be a success anymore, Minni lets out a long breath in defeat. Her blue eyes stare down and the edges of her lips fall a bit. Just then Dicky notices how hard she’s trying and how happy she would be if she could help her friend as much as she wants. After debating with himself internally, the older Islander decides to cooperate, just because he’s being a good mate and surely not because he’s beginning to thrive whenever he’s able to put a smile on Minni’s face.

“Alright, alright,” he breaks the silence with an annoyed groan. “I’ll be fairy-tale Hannah. Minni’s Bobby.”

The raven-haired Chathamite can’t quite describe what happens in his gut when he sees the younger girl’s face lighting up in less than a second.

“Great!” She beams, enthusiastic. She doesn’t know what made Dicky change his mind, but decides not to overthink it and get straight down to business before he becomes his grumpy self again. Rapidly, she uncrosses her legs and places them dangling by the edge of the counter at one of his sides, taking position to act a small scene so Bobby can watch and learn. “Three, two, one, scene,” she says, before her bubbly expression turns into a more serious one. Soon, she’s turning her flirting switch on, her focus going to the man in front of her. “Hannah, I couldn’t help but notice—”

Unluckily for her, Dicky’s collaborative side has already faded in the few seconds it took her to start acting. “What did you notice?” He answers in a squeaky and annoying voice, batting his eyelashes in a very ladylike manner.

“I…” Minni starts speaking, while fighting as not to break character. She knows she should be mad at him for trying to sabotage the scene on purpose, but having such a big and manly lad, who’s usually too serious, fake being a romantic and naïve girl like Hannah is so funny to her to be even mildly upset. The young student takes a deep breath, collects herself and continues, “I couldn’t help but notice that—” 

“Oh my gosh! You’re my knight in shining armour,” Dicky sighs, now looking at her with fake dreamy eyes. 

“Jason, come on,” Minni nags him, swats his strong arm and hisses a giggle. “I’m trying to teach Bobby here.”

Dicky chuckles at her reaction, pleased with the fact that he can mess with her the same way she does with him. Next to him, Bobby stifles a laugh.

“I can’t be Hannah, mate. Sorry,” the mechanic states with a shrug. He finds everything even more fun when he notices that Minni wants to keep trying. _This bird is so bloody stubborn_ , he reckons. As she’s so determined on making this work, perhaps he’d be as resolute to mess with the situation, putting a stop to it just if he sees her openly upset, like a few minutes ago.

“Then you be you,” she suggests, persistent. “I’ll be Bobby.”

Her words confuse Bobby once again. “Who am I, then?” He asks, lost. “Will I be flirting with Dicky now?” He says, cringing at the intimidating idea. “I don’t feel ready for that, if I’m honest.”

“I—” Minni pinches the bridge of her nose, exasperated by the two men in front of her, with the green-eyed mechanic’s attitude bound to get to her nerves. Bobby pouts slightly, not knowing what to do about it.

With attention, Dicky’s stare roams her now slightly angry features. _Cute_ , he simply thinks, deciding to keep pushing it, despite not knowing what the limit could be when the girl’s extensive patience and his irritating character, plus both stubbornness, combine in a scenario like this. He watches her struggle to not get more annoyed with a smirk on his lips.

“Let’s not be anyone,” the brunette Islander says in a calm tone. She straightens her see-through dress and adjusts the sunglasses on top of her head. “We’ll just be humans, alright? Humans interacting, like _normal_ humans do.”

“Am I a boy or a girl though?” Dicky instigates one more time, smug.

Minni shoots him a poisonous glare. “A boy, because if I tell you to play a girl, you’ll try to do that squeaky voice again,” she orders, trying to look pissed off, but actually finding it funny that he’s still up to participate in her attempt of a class. “You’ll be a boy and I’ll be a girl. I guess it doesn’t matter who makes the compliment at this point,” the girl lets out a small sigh. Next, she turns to Bobby, who’s witnessing everything just as puzzled as before, “Just watch so you have a general idea.”

“Cool,” Bobby answers with a smile.

“Okay, great,” Minni beams, hopeful. Taking position again, her eyes turn to Dicky, who looks like he’s finally willing to be serious about this. “Three, two, one, scene.” The student repeats to indicate a start. Like before, her kind and delicate expression acquires something the mechanic can’t pinpoint— she has a sultry halo around her all of the sudden, without losing her cheeky charm and approachable appearance. “Hey, I couldn’t help but notice… do you wear perfume?”

Just because he wants to see where she’s planning on doing next, Dicky decides to stop joking about the situation and follow along. In his head, he convinces himself that she’s another bird at the pub, securing his intense stare on her, “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

Minni can’t decide if it’s the tone in his low voice, his darkened hazel-green eyes or just _everything_ about him that makes her stomach flutter. She has thought he’s attractive ever since she saw him at the lawn, and has also told Chloe whenever she asks, but the mystery and not being able to read him kind of throws her off, unlike Gary, who is the whole package for her at first sight. This is why she feels strange when she realizes that Dicky can so easily make her breath hitch. But, also, this entire thing is a simple game after all, so she tries to keep her composure and reminds herself that she’s doing this for Bobby.

“It’s just…” She continues, her voice becoming breathy and quieter, something she always does and that knows makes men pay more attention to what she’s about to say. She keeps it cool and, while she speaks, brings a delicate finger to trail a teasing path down the tattooed forearm the man has placed on the counter next to her thigh, “You always smell _so good_.”

Dicky’s breathing turns a bit worked up as his gaze follows her single digit touching his inked skin, her glittery nail shining with the sunlight; it looks like she also adorns her fingers with the stars she always talks about so much. His jaw tenses and then relaxes, as he manages to maintain himself chill. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he responds smugly and resorts to reciprocating as a way to gain control but is fully immersed in her spell without even noticing. “I’m sorry I can’t say that I’ve noticed if you wear any. Maybe you just need to get a bit closer.”

Perched next to them, Bobby looks with attention and curiosity, mentally taking notes. For a moment, the pastry chef has doubts and doesn’t know if they’re hell of good flirters or if they secretly fancy each other, because he’s starting to feel like he could cut the tension with a knife. But then, he reminds himself how much it took Minni to convince Dicky to cooperate and how uninterested the man looks when she’s around. Bobby would totally feel like a third wheel if he didn’t know they’re _pretending_ to flirt— he continues to try and learn, especially because, with no apparent attraction between the pair, they make hitting it off look dead easy.

“Why don’t _you_ get closer?” Minni answers to Dicky, looking at him under her large eyelashes. “If you’re that interested anyway.”

Is that _look_ what sends Dicky’s heart rate to the roof. He catches a groan in his throat before his vocal chords can make any sound, all of the muscles of his body tensing. He never, not in a billion years, thought this bubbly girl could turn out to be so good at this and become so attractive to him out of the blue. Surely he agrees with the rest of the lads that she’s fit and pretty, but now, much to his surprise, he’s seeing her in another light. He can’t believe Gary’s bird is making him feel this way, and it looks like she’s not even trying that hard; it’s just make-believe for a newbie like Bobby to learn a few modest tips.

With her own heart picking up pace too, Minni notices Dicky’s forearm tensing beneath her small touch and can’t identify what made him react that way. In that same instant she decides to cut the tension before something goes wrong.

“And that’s all,” the girl says, turning to face Bobby and shrugging off all the mixed sensations she has inside her belly. She makes a small bow, accompanied with a smile when she realizes that they finally made a decent demonstration. “Did you get the idea, Bobby?”

Seeing that it’s over and relieved because of how Minni was able to make the atmosphere disappear like if nothing had happened, Dicky’s body relaxes. After offering the pastry chef a small nod, he returns to his half-empty bowl of pasta and does his best to focus on that.

Bobby beams at the pair, proud. “You guys are good at this,” he compliments, and then bites his inner cheek, feeling insecure. “I feel like I’ll be crap.”

“Oh, no, don’t feel that, babes,” Minni rushes to reassure him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You just have to practice, you’ll see,” she says, nudging him encouragingly and making him smile.

Yet again, she catches Dicky’s attention when he’s trying to ignore her. _Does she ever run out of kindness?_ he asks himself, analysing her body language. He reckons Gary will be well suited with her, as he is the same when it comes to approaching people. The mechanic doesn’t know how he does it, but the blond Chathamite is always reaching out and making sure everyone’s okay. This trait only makes Minni and Gary a better match if possible and causes the raven-haired man to feel ashamed and guilty for having his heart skip a beat at the blue-eyed girl’s fake flirtations. Forcing himself not to direct his hazel-green eyes to her, he hunches over his plate of food and keeps chewing and chewing.

In that same moment, Minni and Bobby notice Hannah and Lottie coming out of the Villa and parting ways. As the blonde girl saunters confidently towards the bean bags, her younger red-haired friend takes a seat on one of the daybeds, right in front of the kitchen.

Minni’s features light up. “Now it’s your time, Bobs,” she urges, patting his upper arm excitedly. “Go get her.”

The Scottish’s golden eyes flick between her and Hannah, indecisive. “I’ll— fine. I’ll try, but no promises,” He says.

His brunette friend nods enthusiastically. Next, he stands up and gathers all the confidence he has on himself and walks towards the daybeds, determined to put in practice what he just saw his friend and Dicky demonstrate. Minni waits for a moment as she watches him go, and then figures out that he wouldn’t want to feel watched or spied on, so she decides to hop off the counter and to get a snack in the meantime, while she waits for her friend to report back once he’s finished.

As she ponders her snack options, she can’t help thinking of Dicky, and not because he’s still munching loudly behind her. It’s because of how flustered he got her in a few seconds and how genuine his flirting looked even when he’s ignoring, avoiding her or rolling his eyes at her most of the time. Given that she evidently annoys him to a great extent, Minni knows that they could never work, that it's impossible that they could make a good match. In any case, he seems to be a nice lad on the inside, as she saw when he was quick to look worried when he noticed that Bobby was struggling with an insecurity, despite messing around and ending up not exactly helping; the younger girl only hopes that he’s not playing that same game with Chloe. If he was ever to offend her friend, Minni is sure the dark-haired mechanic would meet her bad side, something that rarely comes to surface.

While twirling the pasta around the fork, Dicky’s glare wonders absentmindedly across the Villa and land on Bobby and Hannah. He watches the conversation, without hearing anything because of how far they are, and puts the food inside his mouth. When he sees the Scottish trying to touch Hannah’s hair, making the girl pull back a bit and put a weirded-out face, Dicky sneers.

“He’s fucking up already,” the green-eyed Chathamite mumbles, speaking with his mouth half-full as always.

Minni turns around after hearing him talk. “Really?” she asks. She’s fast enough to catch Bobby smiling uncomfortably at a confused and shy Hannah. “Bloody hell,” the physics student murmurs in a monotone and defeated tone.

The girl’s reaction causes Dicky to laugh under his breath. She catches his sight before turning around to face the kitchen’s shelves. Just then, she decides to make herself a bowl of cereal and milk. Calmly, she takes a bowl and the milk out of the fridge, but once she spots where the boys left the cereal box, a deep frown forms in her delicate face. _Why did they put it that high up?_ She growls internally, staring at the colourful box placed on the highest shelf. 

“Hey, Dicky,” the girl says, facing him.

“Huh?” The moody mechanic responds, not turning around to pay her attention.

From where she is, Minni can see that he’s just in the middle of eating his dish, hungrily scraping the sauce with the fork. “Could you reach that for me, please?”

Curious, Dicky turns around and sees the blue-eyed Islander pointing at a cereal box that’s far up, on one of the top shelves. Of course she wouldn’t be able to reach it without the help of someone taller, as her height without those huge platforms she likes to wear so much is barely above 5ft. For a good second, Dicky's gaze goes to her, then at the box, and then back at her again. A mischievous glimmer appears on his expression. 

“Sure.” The brunet man stands up and gets closer. Feeling Minni’s expecting look on him, he’s barely able to contain a malicious laugh when he grabs the box, takes a few steps to the side and puts it higher up, on top of the cupboard and near the ceiling. Next, he turns to grin at the girl, smug. Earning just a flaming angry look and a huff as a response makes Dicky let out a short laugh.

“You’re such an asshole, honestly.” The girl rolls her eyes at him. She shakes her head, making a mental note of not asking for his help ever again.

Dicky laughs again, seeing that she won’t be confrontational about it— this is just as fun as messing with Gary, the pair seeming to be more similar as he gets to know this girl more and more. For the fun of it, the Chathamite decides to let Minni squirm a little, so he takes his seat back on a stool and watches Bobby. The pastry chef seems to be getting along with Hannah a little better now.

It’s just when Dicky starts hearing a metallic noise behind him that he turns around to find that that petite Minni is dragging one of the stools to put in front of the cupboard, so she can stand up on it and reach the cereal box.

“What an imbecilic Everest-looking…” the older Islander hears her mumbling under her breath. “I just wanted to get my bloody cereal and he…”

Dicky has to grit his teeth in order not to smile on how adorable she looks when she’s fuming. He could get used to messing with her like this, he reckons, because it has been well fun so far, “You could get hurt if you do that.” He warns, pretending to be annoyed and raising his slitted eyebrow.

“Well, it’ll be your fault,” she shoots back, bitter. Being stubborn as she is, she finishes positioning the stool and prepares to step on top of it. 

“It’s not my fault you’re vertically-challenged, sugar,” Dicky replies, mocking.

He’s not actually expecting for her to continue, so when he realizes that she’s lifting one of her slender legs to place her high platforms on top of her stool, the brunet springs to his feet. He convinces himself that this reaction is just given the possibility that Gary would totally freak out if something bad happened to his bird.

“Alright, fine. I’ll get it for you,” Dicky tells her, getting closer.

Minni frowns at him, now genuinely in a bad mood, “Nah, I don’t need your help. Fuck off.”

With his hazel-green eyes widening a little, the Chathamite opens his mouth in disbelief at her outburst. “Oi, you kiss my mate Gary with that mouth?” He teases, annoyingly.

Now it’s the brunette girl’s eyes to open slightly wider. “H-How…?” She starts asking but decides to stop when she notices that Dicky is being too smug already and that giving away her surprise has only made it worse. “Ugh.” The student is pondering a reply when she hears steps entering the kitchen. With her entire expression lighting up, she sees Noah quietly walking in, his water bottle between his hands. “Hey, Noah.”

“Yeah?” The librarian asks, kindly.

“Could you reach the cereal box for me?”

As he fights to contain a groan, Dicky rolls his eyes. He doesn’t know how, apparently, Minni always manages to get whatever she wants. Noticing his reaction, Noah figures that there’s something weird going on in here but decides to help sweet Minni anyway. Few men can resist her charm, especially if she’s asking them favours.

“Of course,” he says gently.

Without asking questions, the dark-skinned man reaches the cereal box and gives it to Minni. She beams and thanks him, holding it with both hands and saunters to the counter. After Noah finishes filling his water bottle and silently goes away, Dicky turns to the girl, who is happily making herself a bowl of cereal and milk next to him. This habit also reminds him of Gary— golden boy loves that stuff, especially at breakfast, with it being the only thing he can prepare without burning down the kitchen.

“Mate, you’re stubborn as hell,” the raven-haired mechanic hisses at Minni.

Still pissed off, the blue-eyed girl stops making her snack and lifts her sight to meet his. “Could say the same about you,” she responds, in an equally bitter tone.

Dicky can’t do much but to squint, menacingly. She squints back, mirroring his gesture. Her angry stance, her witty comebacks and cute pout become so funny to him, for some weird reason. His mad stare turns into a smirk at the realisation that she’s not even fazed by his deadly glare, one that makes backtrack lads twice her size.

“Why are you smiling?” Minni grumbles, trying to hold back her own laughter at his sudden change of expression. She’s used to have this level of banter amongst men, because she grew up as the younger sister of two brothers who love to pull pranks on each other, and attends a university career when the majority of students are men, but she doesn’t recall being this entertained by that push and pull of remarks, comments and messing around in general.

“You’re well funny, sugar. I feel like I’m being threatened by a cupcake,” Dicky simply says, returning to his usual poker face afterwards.

Minni quirks an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you’re getting enough oxygen up there?” She says, pointing at his head.

When Dicky lets out a small grunt as a response and directs his attention to his food, the conversation ends. Feeling more at ease, Minni goes back to preparing her bowl with enthusiasm. Once she finishes, she takes a seat next to the moody Chathamite, who’s absentmindedly fidgeting with the last bit of pasta on his plate and his fork; it has gone cold, but he doesn’t really care— he has even eaten frozen pasta before. Then, the girl proceeds to watch Bobby as she eats the first spoonful of her sugary snack. After a few seconds, Minni sees that the pastry chef is leaning forward to smell Hannah in a not-subtle way. Not being able to contain a chuckle, the brunette covers her mouth and almost spits a bunch of milk. Instead of trying to play it cool this time, she giggles a bit more at herself, her stare glued to her plate, so Bobby doesn’t notice that she’s laughing at him and gets more nervous. 

“Minerva, stop that,” Dicky mumbles, annoyed and with his mouth full.

“What now?” She whines, another involuntary giggle escaping her throat as he remembers Bobby getting closer to Hannah. “Stop what?”

“I don’t know,” Dicky growls, trying to hold back a smile. There it is again that contagious laughter of hers that makes the corners of his lips turn upwards without reason. He dislikes that the sound makes his body react this way. Grumpily, he swallows the food that he has in his mouth so as not to choke and stops eating altogether, “Whatever you’re doing.”

Amused, the girl figures out that it is her laugh that is making Dicky act in such a weird manner. She chuckles at him. “I’m just laughing, mate,” she says with a smirk.

“Then stop,” he replies with a frown, his jaw clenching to stop a smile. He hates that this sugar-coated girl is able to bring his walls down so easily. And the thought that he doesn’t know what could happen to him if she tried hard enough to reach out makes him feel vulnerable, “Stop it.”

Now, Minni giggles at his grumpiness, knowing that he won’t be able to keep that façade for too long. She never expected that she could make a cranky lad like Dicky laugh so easily, and she’s enjoying it so far. It takes a couple of seconds for Dicky to turn from containing just a smile to actually contain laughter, gritting his teeth as he tries hard not to give in. In an attempt to shut himself up, he lets out a small breath that ends up becoming a weird sounding snort. This causes Minni to erupt into laughter, with it being more contagious and louder now that she’s making fun of him.

“Stop it. Argh, you’re so annoying,” Dicky grunts, while chuckling but trying to frown at the same time. “Shut up.”

Usually, she’d get mad at having someone shutting her up, but she reckons it’s a useless self-defence mechanism on his end, which makes everything more hilarious. This time the blue-eyed girl tries to lower the volume of her laugh a bit, but she can’t. She covers her mouth with the palm of her hand, her bright stare not leaving the man next to her _. It’s so fun to be around him_ , she thinks. _Who would’ve thought?_ Feeling her eyes on him, the brunet mechanic turns his head to one side, to avoid her, a strained string of chuckles spilling from his lips. Soon, a strange warmth starts dangerously creeping to his cheeks.

Luckily, Bobby arrives to the kitchen just in time. The Scottish catches the pair laughing together, unanticipatedly. Between giggles, Minni turns her attention to him, expecting him to tell her how things went.

“How did it go?” She asks.

Now that her laughter has stopped, Dicky regains a bit of his composure, “Yeah, mate, what happened?”

Bobby’s face falls at their questions, discouraged, “I need serious practice, you guys.”

  
  


**At the rooftop terrace – Evening.[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_fnDqAKl2k)**

From this angle, Chloe’s able to see almost everyone. Bobby is standing in front of Marisol and Lottie and they all instantly laugh at what she assumes is another of his goofy impersonations. The dark-haired girl leans against the edge of the cushioned seat and lets out a short giggle at the Scottish young man’s animated body language. She must confess that she’s grown a soft spot for Bobby and instantly adopted him as the little brother she’s never had. 

The serenity of just her at the rooftop terrace is exactly what she is looking for. It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy the rest of the Islanders, they’re all fascinating and friendly; but there are occasions when she just needs some quality time for herself. 

A sudden click of the door is heard. Chloe’s quick to turn her head and spots a familiar brawny blond with startled bright blue eyes. She discreetly scans him up and down. He’s wearing heavy-looking brown boots with fitted blue jeans along with a plain grey t-shirt hugging his toned biceps and those impressive pecs. She can easily see his dark red flannel shirt tied around his waist, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were here.” He sheepishly smiles. 

Her gaze is stilled on the crane operator and offers him a small smile, “No, it’s fine. I only came here for a bit of alone time.”

Gary quietly nods and briefly scratches his neck. There’s a peculiar modesty to Gary right now and Chloe’s not used to see it when he’s with the others. Typically, he comes off as a confident and cheeky man yet with her, Gary attempts to avoid her look and stands there awkwardly. Funnily enough, he’s also looking for a bit of headspace from the others and the rooftop terrace seemed like a great idea, “Sorry, love. I’ll leave you to it.” 

Before he tries to leave, Gary hears Chloe’s gentle voice call out to him, “Wait. Don’t worry about it, mate. It’s nice to have a bit of company.” 

The blond looks over at the classical cellist and blinks at the offer but isn’t against the idea. It could be his opportunity to get to know her and see how true Dicky’s words were earlier. The more Gary looked at the radiant Londoner, the more he’s convinced that she’s too posh for any of the blokes in the Villa. 

He beams at Chloe and sits near her. There’s still space between the two, enough for another person to occupy that seat. Until now, he’s realised this is the first time him and Chloe have been alone. Their interactions have always been with groups or whenever she’s around Dicky. And even like that, he’s never been able to fully grasp her personality.

The handsome blond man and the brunette beauty both look down to have a decent view of Ibrahim making a complete fool of himself in front of Priya, both being in a new couple after she chose the golfer this afternoon. They can’t quite make out what he’s said but they know his flirting skills lack. The newest Islander laughs at the golf player but tries to ease him after the awkward interaction. 

Gary and Chloe share a light chuckle at the cringeworthy scenery. The Chatham native turns his attention to the Londoner as she faints her laughter. “Rahim isn’t the best when grafting on a bird. Tried giving the bloke a few pointers but...” He shakes his head and smiles at the early memory of Ibrahim utterly failing at grasping the skills. “He’s just so...” 

Chloe extends her smile over her lips just imagining Ibrahim stuttering the pickup line backwards. She notices the spiky-haired man is trying to remain polite with his word choice and can’t seem to finish the sentence. “He’s just so stiff and dense?” She tries to conclude his sentence. 

The muscled Islander nods in agreement and huffs out a snicker. “Spot on, Chloe. I reckon Priya fancies him either way; she did steal him from Marisol, after all. She’d just have to deal with his rubbish flirting.”

The brunette girl shifts her vivid honey-coloured eyes to Gary and corners a small grin. “Priya does seem like she does great with her grafting. Men don’t always have to be the experts when it comes to flirting, you know?” 

His lips curve into a smirk and breathes out an easy-going laugh. “Am I sitting next to an expert?” Gary asks curiously. He overheard Chloe tell some of the girls during the challenge that she’s French which didn’t quite surprise him. Chloe carries herself as a very sophisticated woman; almost intimidating for a common man but with an exceptional beauty to admire for ages. He’s always heard the French are naturally seductive and the musician easily gives off the vibe. 

Her shoulders effortlessly shrug and tilts her head while keeping her sight on Gary. “Maybe, when I want to be.” She subtly squints the outer corner of her eyes in a playful manner.

Gary slightly adjusts his seating position and finds her truly a mystery of a character. He’s never met a woman like her, and he can’t lie to himself, she _is_ easy to talk to; Dicky was not bantering whatsoever. “Mate, I reckon you charm a lot of lads with your French, eh?” 

Chloe slightly raises her perfectly shaped brown eyebrows at him and faintly twitches a smile as she thinks of the crane operator’s opinion. She scoots a little closer towards the tattooed man and her seductive hazel stare is now solely on him. “Votre fermeture éclair est défaite…” Her voice enriches Gary’s ears at the tender rumble in her velvet vocals; almost like an arousing purr caressing along those marvellous foreign words. 

Gary can feel his face growing red at how beautiful Chloe’s authentic accent rolled off her tongue. He has no bloody idea what she’s told him, but he must admit that it sounds proper sexy. His stare is set on her big bright golden orbs, almost like she’s practising hypnotism on him; there’s no possibility to escape the cellist now. The blond bearded man never notices his mouth slightly opened until he gulps in the intensity of such a voluptuous French stare.

“Woah…” Gary’s voice cracks and tries to cover it with a short laugh. “I, um— what did you just say?” 

Chloe leans back and sucks in her lips into her mouth to suppress her laughter. Skimming through her experience with men, they all react like this and it was too hilarious to witness. She crosses her arms and gives him a playful smug smirk. “I said, ‘your zipper is undone’.”

Gary’s flushed face immediately pales and switches his grin for a panicked frown within seconds. He looks down at his jeans to check on the zipper and breathes out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, he really thought his business was out in the open this entire time. _Wait a second_ , he thinks at the proper joke Chloe’s just pulled.

He looks up to see an amused brown-haired musician pressing her lips into a thin line and he can easily distinguish cute dimples on her blushed cheeks. Gary breaks into a gentle chuckle and stretches an entertained smile for Dicky’s current partner. “It’s not the first time you’ve fooled me.” A small grin shifts his lips just astonished at the impression she’s leaving on him. He’s come to the conclusion that Chloe is generally a playful girl and he’s starting to find her more fascinating. Just last night, she managed to trick him, too. 

Keeping the same grin in place, the bulky Chatham native gently squints his crystal blue eyes at Chloe with interest. He can see her respond to his facial gesture with her genuine smile, “You know, you’re not exactly what I have expected. You’re quite the cheeky girl.” 

Chloe squirms her face into a questionable look, “Cheeky? Nooo…” She giggles at Gary’s opinion on her. “Perhaps I’m a bit of a humourist at times but not cheeky. I’ve got to say I never expected you to be the glasses type.” 

Gary becomes perplexed and pouts at what she’s meant. Chloe points at her own face, gesturing at how he’s got his black frames on. “Oh... I forget I have them on sometimes. Mate, I’ve worn glasses since I was a little lad.” 

The hazel-eyed young woman sweetly smiles at the small revelation of his childhood. She’s grown a bit curious now to hear more at how endearing Gary sounds regarding the subject. There’s this glimpse of innocence that travels through his pupils and makes his look carry a gorgeous sparkle evident through the natural moonlight. She can already imagine a cute little blond blue-eyed boy trying to get used to his new frames. 

She exhales a cheery laugh and rests her small knuckles against her cheek as she’s observing the light-haired Islander. “I hope you remember to not sleep with them on.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, love. I’ve learned my lesson.” He returns an enthused chuckle as he recalls his childhood memory. “My nan was the first to notice I needed glasses when I was little. Apparently, I was squinting a lot while watching the telly and I kept telling her I was fine to avoid the doc. She basically shoved me out the door to take me to the examination room cos I didn’t wanna go.” 

Chloe hums out a faint sigh and tilts her head at the fascinating lady in Gary’s life. The details about his nan are minimal and quite vague but she remains with curiosity of his relative. She notices how he pauses after the little storytelling and assumes he won’t be sharing more about his life. Perhaps he will another time. “Mind if I try them out?” She asks eagerly matching her round eyes, that remind Gary of the sun. 

Gary blinks at the request and slightly lifts his darkened thick eyebrow, “Um, sure. No one’s ever asked me to try out my glasses before.” He swiftly removes his black frames and leans towards Chloe to hand them over. 

“Really? Hmm, then maybe I’m the weird one. I’ve asked Marisol to try out her glasses earlier today and she gave me a similar reaction.” The young cellist pushes the glasses on her face and, right away, her vision is blurry but can still identify her surroundings. 

She turns to the muscly crane operator and only sees his fuzzy wide frame but gives him a wide smile, “So…” Chloe straightens her back and pushes her shoulders back with poise but quickly changes her body pose to a silly one. “How do I look?” 

Gary smooths out his golden stubble with the back of his hand as gives the brunette London native an amused open smile and light-heartedly laughs at his next thought, “I reckon you look like Velma from Scooby-Doo. But, like, more fit.” 

Despite his semi-blurry vision, he can still make out the lovely sight of Chloe. He’s not bantering the girl; he really thinks she surpasses another level of sophistication and is more attractive now with his glasses matching her elegant outfit. The classical musician is wearing expensive-looking black pointed toe heels matching it with these tight ebony pants hugging her every curve. Coming to her torso, she has a lightweight black blazer with a thin white turtleneck sweatshirt that comes up halfway to her neck. Gary’s never personally seen such a gracious woman in his life. Chatham is relatively a smaller city and a lot of the birds are not this luxurious. Chloe almost looks untouchable when she’s next to the other girls in the villa. 

For a second there, the blue-eyed man has forgotten to remember to take a breath. Gary can only hope that his staring is subtle but with this woman, there’s a lot to intake and admire. Truly, he doesn’t know how Dicky keeps his eyes intact to see this beautiful bird all day when Gary’s only spent a bit of time with her. 

His thoughts are interrupted to the delicate sound of Chloe’s giggle on his Velma comment. She corners her lips to a particular animated facial expression. “Jinkies!” She comically blurts out with an impressive American accent of the vintage character.

She takes off the lenses and hands them back to the crane operator, seeing him push them back into place. The pair of Islanders remain in a comfortable silence to just hear the faint chats of the rest from below until Gary’s voice makes Chloe’s head turn to his direction. “So…” He subconsciously scoots a little closer to the smaller brunette, now more comfortable than when he entered the rooftop terrace.

He’s got a better view of Chloe this time. His look lands on those prominent sculpted high cheekbones of hers and takes an immediate notice of a delicate beauty mark she has stamped on the apple of her right cheek. They’re lightly contoured to exhibit her cheeks but not overly done to disrespect her those exquisite features. Gary mentally shakes off his distracting thoughts and tries to focus on what he wants to discuss with her, “Dicky hasn’t been giving you too much trouble, has he?” 

Chloe bats her curled lashes at Gary’s concerned tone of voice for his friend. She breathes in her instant thoughts on Jason. “Dicky? He’s been quite the character.” She tries to ease the more serious chat with a short laugh but sighs at how many times she’s tried to please that difficult man. “He’s really fun to chat with and we’ve got nice banter. Not many will believe me when I say that he’s actually a sound partner. But if I may be honest with you, I can never tell if he’s in a good mood or not; he’s hard to read. Sometimes, I feel like I’m annoying him or I chat too much for his taste, or...” She heavily sighs out her hesitant burden and throws her arms in the air unknowingly. “I dunno, I just don’t want to come across too disliking, you know?” 

Gary’s expression dims to a bit of disappointment about Dicky’s issue with his grumpiness. It’s always been a concern with others, and he must admit that it can get intolerable at times, but he can only hope that Chloe carries enough patience for his mate. Deep down, he knows Dicky genuinely fancies Chloe just by how he expresses himself of her. Typically, Jason’s quick to make fun of girls, no matter if they’re an absolute sort. But when it comes to Chloe, he’s never heard his dark-haired friend say anything bad about her. Recalling the chat he’s had with Dicky earlier today, Gary was prepared to hear the cranky bloke’s rant of the classical cellist. To his surprise, all he got out of the chat was of how easy-going Chloe really is— Dicky couldn’t have been righter. The blond brawny man can only ask the Londoner to remain with patience for his friend. There’s so much to Jason and no girl has been able to get through that thick skull of his. Perhaps Chloe is the one to finally get through those Dicky glares.

The older brunette slumps her shoulders and pouts a bit to her status with her current partner. She knows she’s heavily attracted to his height, his luscious dark locks, those intense green-hazel eyes, and that pompous smile that defines his charm. But Chloe doesn’t want to give in to the pressure of going in for a kiss so soon; after all, it is just the second day. Hope and Noah have made things quite official but sort of scary considering how little time they’ve spent together. Gary and Minni have already kissed last night and seem to be getting along well, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Priya and Ibrahim start taking things more profoundly. But perhaps, she must go in for a kiss to establish something with that man. _Ugh, this is all so complicated_ , she laments in her head. 

Gary leans towards the visibly distressed amber eyed-girl and gifts her a warm smile. There’s this viable reassurance that radiates off him and lingers around Chloe gradually easing her. “Dicky’s grouchy all the time but I can tell you that he’s taking a liking to you. And to be fair, he’s the nicest when you’re around.”

Chloe arches a sceptical eyebrow at the handsome crane operator. She can’t really say she truly believes the blond man considering he’s good friends with Dicky. “Hmph, I wouldn’t want to know what he’s like when he’s angry.”

The man’s features soften as he arranges a faint smile for the elegant woman. Despite the cool blue colour of Gary’s eyes, she can feel the warmth in them, and it brings a sense of an inviting serenity swirling at the core of her chest. Chloe could easily say that she wasn’t expecting Gary to switch from being a cheeky bloke talking about flirting tactics to a fully empathic man, “I can’t imagine Dicky getting angry at you, darling.” His baritone voice is gentle at the delivery of his compliment. “You’re quite a charming bird and I reckon Dicky’s seen that of you already. I mean, I’m seeing it right now…” 

The theatrical musician lingers her hand near her ear and attempts to distract her herself by lightly playing around with her diamond earring. Chloe gives him a reserved smile and hums out a quiet breath through her nostrils. She appreciates the compliment but his sky-blue orbs glimmer in a gaze so intense, just like last night at the dancefloor. She has to hand it to him; he seems thoroughly experienced with his smooth talk. It’s easy to see why Minni has found him attractive and can only hope her friend finds what she’s looking for in Gary, “On the other hand, I’m quite pleased to see how well you and Minni are getting along.” She hopes the altered subject works to ease off the ambiance and thoughtfully smiles at him.

“Oh, yeah. Minni’s a lovely girl! It’s nice being in a couple with someone who can handle cheeky banter and plus, she’s a proper sort with brains.” His grin expands across his cheeks, displaying a genuine happiness to be with the astrophysics student. “I rate her, if I’m honest.” 

Chloe nods approvingly to his answer. Coming in here, she never expected to care so dearly for someone so quickly. Typically, Chloe takes some time for her to consider someone a true friend and the younger dark-haired girl completely won her over. Minni instantly has become a great person to chat with and she only wishes that Gary continues to make her happy. She wouldn’t want anything or anyone to break that sweet girl’s heart. At some point, Chloe determines why she’s grown so protective of her new friend’s feelings and she’s come to the realisation that she sees a little bit of her younger self in the Cambridge student. Sure, Minni is a young adult and seems like she can take care of herself just fine, but Chloe’s defaulted to feeling vigilant for her and Gary is the first target. Her stare intently analyses the blond man and can only take his word. It’s not that she doesn’t trust him, but Chloe simply doesn’t know Gary well enough to determine if he’s just playing the game or not. Well, to be fair, she doesn’t even know herself if she’s even taking this whole Love Island thing seriously, either. 

The instrumentalist parts her plump lips covered in a nude lipstick. She gently lowers her expressive face down to her short almond shaped taupe-coloured nails and starts to smooth out her nails as a form of distraction. She takes a second to collect her sentence before speaking up. Gary can tell that she’s come to a deep sincerity and mirrors a similar frown from hers. Her sight lifts to level Gary’s and he can see the concern overflowing her delicate face. The suspense is killing him and wonders why she’s become serious.

Gary comes a little closer to Chloe, as a sign of comfort and tries to keep the persistent eye contact with her, “What’s happened, love?” His voice is gentle and pampering to her ears. 

“Look, I just want Minerva to find what she’s looking for here. I reckon it’s only been two days…” She lightly laughs and sees him smiling agreeingly to the comment. “But if the two of you plan on sticking with each other, I only want her to be happy. She’s become a great friend and I dunno, I just—”

“You care about her.” Gary completes her sentence and her pupils lightly shake to his accuracy. He widens the same dashing smile to see her stunned face grace her rare features. 

“Y-Yeah, precisely. How did you know I was going to say that?” Chloe lowers her troubled eyebrows and carries a questioning frown. _I truly can’t be this predictable_ , she thinks to herself. 

Now it’s the crane operator who remains with a bit of silence and his gaze stays on the brunette beauty before him. “I was going to tell you the same thing about Dicky.” 

The golden-eyed girl leans back and softly clears her throat. Her hands run down her thighs and slim fingers distractingly drumming against her knees. It also feels like an eternity while his profound blue eyes continue to intently study her, only to notice how much closer they are now compared to when they had begun conversing. Chloe bravely meets his gaze and modestly smiles back at Gary.

“I should probably get going. I’m sure you still fancy a bit of that alone time you were looking for.” Her voice rings beautifully, like a classical melody and rich in sound to his ears. 

For a brief moment, Gary’s luminous expression goes dull to hear of the musician’s departure. He makes an effort to keep an understanding smile, but he can’t help but feel a bit of a let-down to know their chat is over. He gives her a simple nod and his gaze follows her as she stands. “Yeah, I forgot I’ve come up here for that,” the brawny man responds and allows a short laugh to fill in their distance. 

Chloe smooths out her attire before landing her look one more time on the blond man, “I’ll see you later, yeah?” There’s that sweet smile she’s generous enough to gift him before leaving. 

The crane operator admires the back side of Chloe’s figure as she guides herself towards the door. All those soft curves seem to be more apparent now even when he’s already seen her in that lavish swimwear earlier. He hears the last bit of her heels lowly thump at each step until he’s finally alone.

Gary’s impression of Chloe has truly levitated from tonight’s chat. Despite their contrasting personalities, he’s identified himself with her friendship morality. She’s been a hard bird to read, kind of like Dicky; both dark-haired Islanders always keeping it collected around others and never exposing their true nature. Perhaps those two are perfect for each other. They seem to share a similarity in keeping a poker face. The only difference is that Chloe is approachable and friendly while Dicky could murder with his glares. It’s only been one chat, but he’s learnt a lot about his mate’s partner. She’s compelling and she’s the type of woman Dicky might need in his life. Otherwise, Gary will think of Jason as an idiot for not pursuing such a ravishing woman like Chloe.

  
  


**At the lawn – Night-time.**

Night has fallen over the Villa. Music rolls out of the speakers as the Islanders chat amongst themselves. A warm summer breeze drifts across the lawn as the two Chatham men are already settled on the colourful bean bags, each one of them with a beer in hand. After a long night of grafting, chatting and dealing with the aftermath of Priya recoupling with Ibrahim, they decided to take a breather with the purpose of clearing their thoughts. They surely feel lucky for still being in their original couples, but there’s the unspoken sensation, lingering in the thin air of the Villa, that perhaps it won’t last too long.

“So, tell me, bruv. Has she managed to suck out a cavity with that snog last night, or what?” The taller Islander tries to hide his mischievous smirk by lingering the beer bottle over his lips. Dicky’s sly emerald-hazel orbs sneak a glance to see Gary’s humorous reaction. 

The younger spiky-haired man shifts his head towards the amused mechanic and is left without words. His chunky dark eyebrows slightly levitate, creating a bit of wrinkle over his forehead. Gary could’ve sworn him and Minni were completely alone last night at the daybeds. It seemed like everyone had gone off to bed, so he can’t figure out how Dicky knows about the bloody kiss. 

The crane operator reminds himself that it’s an open area, nonetheless. Someone seeing him having a cheeky snog with his partner shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing. The blond man stretches a proud grin over his face and puffs out his chest at the memory, “I’ll tell you this much, mate. She’s an absolute fitty and that snog was smashing.” 

Jason obnoxiously rolls his eyes at lover-boy and finds it overly entertaining to see his muscly friend getting mildly flustered over a kiss he had with Minerva, “I bet you had the same goofy-looking face you’ve got right now last night with her, right?” He snickers out his words to notice Gary’s grin gradually faint but tries his best to ignore the teasing. He’s used to his older friend’s mocking attitude, so he knows better than to get hot headed so soon.

“Can you blame me, mate? Minni’s the right amount of cheekiness and last night was ace.” Gary exhales out a satisfied sigh in remembrance of how welcoming she felt and wonders when would be their next one.

Dicky settles his beer bottle beside his beanbag and fumbles a cigarette with one hand and his lighter with the other. He lightly shakes his head at the thought of this bloke getting ahead of himself when it comes to women. Without losing sight of his tobacco and flicking the lighter to ignite its flame, he mumbles out his words, “Your nan must’ve been praying for your soul, mate. I bet that’s the most action you’ve had in months, eh?”

“Shut it, Emsworth,” he growls and slaps his arm strongly. 

Dicky winces and rubs his arm but manages to sneer at the aftermath of his witty statement. “Oi! You know, sometimes I really miss those days when you were a smaller lad,” he grins, mockingly. “Remember how I used to double you in size back then? It was such a long time ago.”

The mechanic perfectly recalls the exact same moment in which his mum told him about the transfer of schools, when he was just turning fourteen. To say that he was not enthused about the idea would be an understatement. The decision his mum took led to many nightless arguments, as the brunet disliked the idea of dealing with new people and being separated from his friends, who were a bad influence on his family's eyes. Jason was not the easiest teenager to put up with, and the divorce of his parents heavily impacted many of his behavioural issues, to say the least. He remembers how much his mum begged him to give this new school a chance and to keep out of trouble for once. And that time, Dicky decided to keep his promise for his mother.

Arriving at the new school, there was an immediate disapproval: the building, the staff, the classrooms, he hated everything. Dicky didn’t bond with anyone, mainly because he didn’t even want to be in that school in the first place. That was until he met the oddest bloke out of the bunch. It was a scrawny little blond lad with these unforgettable frames that took up half of his face. He couldn’t figure out why, but there was something about that younger, smaller boy that inspired trust in him, and eventually they became long-time friends. Now, he’s grown to see the pure transformation of that same short blond child into a muscular and overly confident crane operator.

“A lot has changed, hasn’t it?” Dicky adds, thoughtful while finishing the last bit of his cigarette. Brief childhood memories flashes in his matured mind while he looks over at Gary. To think that this bloke has tolerated Dicky’s crankiness and mean pranks for all these years.

“Not everything though,” Gary responds. “You’re still all trouble and people still don’t like you.”

This makes Jason remember how everyone threw judgemental looks over at him for looking like devilry itself and not wanting to open up to everyone. Frankly, he was used to people taking distance when they noticed how mean he could be and how grumpy he was most of the time, and never really cared what others thought of him. In fact, it was preferable to keep them away. There was only so much patience he had for some of those mediocre students.

He had already made himself familiar with the school’s facilities after a few days and it was the same result as the prior schools he had attended. That was until that same blond younger teenager was brave enough to initiate chats with the intimidating dark-haired newbie. No one had ever approached Dicky and that younger blond boy genuinely wanted to be mates with him.

“Heh,” Dicky rolls his eyes. “And you’re still a nerd.”

This was one of the few traits that caused Gary not to have it so easy in school. Aside from his thin and insignificant appearance, it didn’t help that his interests were just as unorthodox. His enthused chats consisted of scientific subjects, sci-fi films, and those geeky comic book superhero characters. So, as many bullies felt uncomfortable having to listen to such a nerdy boy, it drove them to bullying the poor lad. He was being name-called, slandered because of his physicality, even pushed around for having a unique personality— his nan cheering him up on football practice didn’t help at all to stop the constant picking. One of the regrets Dicky has around those years is not standing up for Gary when he was dealing with bullies, but at the same time he doesn’t blame his past self, because he was struggling with his own problems too.

There was a lot going on at Dicky’s home at that time, with his parents divorcing and his new-born sister changing the overall dynamic. Him, being a moody teenager already, didn’t feel thrilled with all those changes; all he wanted to do was to cause mischief at school and to hang out with older lads. But, as much as he hung out with a bunch of conflictive people, he still felt _lonely_. He didn’t consider anyone as a true friend, and the fact that the attention at home was focused on more important matters made him oddly angry at everyone and everything, resulting in him being more rebellious if possible.

None of them would ever admit it out loud, but meeting each other changed a lot of things, equally for the both of them. Gary’s non-reactive and calm nature helped Dicky’s temper ease a little, he stirred him away from the path he was going into and made him _company_ , which was what he needed the most. And Dicky’s boldness and resolute attitude taught a smothered Gary to speak his mind, to be more out there and not care what other people thought or talked about him. This strangely powerful combo drove them to, slowly, become a rather popular pair at school, once they got older, more muscular and handsome; not even Dicky graduating first separated them. One could say that their story seemed to be straight out of a movie, where the two outsiders eventually became the most desired pair between Chatham’s youth.

Dicky presses his lips together into a thin line and gulps in the unwanted sadness of some of the bad memories and masks it with a small smile. Quickly, he distinguishes Gary cockily flexing his impressive biceps and matches the stupid grin widening through his lips. The dark-haired Islander shakes his head at how presumptuous the blond man keeps getting. 

“Mate, at least birds dig me now,” the younger man comments while slouching his shoulders. Suddenly, he thinks about the girls he used to fancy during his early years at school, who would easily friend-zone him. “Well, at least some of them.” Without wanting to, he vividly recalls why he started hitting the gym and all that came afterwards, and his expression starts to sadden.

Instantly, Dicky notices that his mate is trying to appear more confident than he feels; he knows this bloke too well by now. “Don’t go to that place, lad. We were having a happy chat,” he says, trying to lighten the mood. He rummages in his memories until he finds something funny he could use to change the subject. The brunet chuckles. “Alright. Remember that time when we fancied the same chick? Eva, from year eleven?”

The crane operator laughs with him, visibly feeling better. “Oh, mate, we fought like cats and dogs for that girl and she ended up dating that football captain anyway,” he responds.

“Thank god we don’t fancy the same bird in here, huh?” the mechanic says, as he fails to convince himself that he doesn’t fancy Minni at all. He has been trying to ignore that sensation during the entire evening and having her being Gary’s partner doesn’t help at all. The older man knows for a fact that he’d have to tell him eventually, but he doesn’t feel ready yet.

After briefly avoiding eye contact, Gary awkward laughs, whilst trying to hide the fact that he’s starting to think of Chloe as a good option after the chat he had with her earlier tonight, “Yeah, really lucky, mate.” He goes quiet at the end of his sentence and rubs the back of his neck to ease the odd silence.

Another warm breeze makes the leaves of the bushes shake along with it, the bugs, crickets and cicadas starting to form a soothing choir as the day gets nearer to its end. Not saying a word, Gary takes a last sip of his beer and Dicky lights up another cigarette, burning smoke entering his lungs right away. Silences between the pair are not usually uncomfortable, but both have now the sensation that there’s more words to be said after their statements about the girls.

Finally, the crane operator decides to say something encouraging, something he feels that is better to get out in the open.

“Even if we get kicked out, like, next week, this Love Island thing would still have been a fun experience we can tell the rest of the lads back home, don’t you think? I’m glad to be here with you, if I’m honest,” he says sincerely to his older mate.

Dicky throws his head back and groans, “Don’t get soft on me, man.” Then, he makes a brief pause, pondering Gary’s words. “But yeah, I agree. It’s nice to have a mate in here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like our boys are falling for Minni and Chloe's charms already lol.Stay tuned for day 3, folks~  
> Lets us know what you think about day 2 down below in the comment section👀 We hope to see you real soon with another update😌  
> -mrsgaryrennell and cassiahalley❤️


	4. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The silence between the men resumes, both slowly submerging in their thoughts about tonight’s Recoupling. Whilst they ponder their options, equally indecisive, they can faintly hear the two brunette girls’ enchanting voices echoing across the Villa as they seem to be sharing one of their friendly conversations, the distinctive sounds not helping them come to a proper decision at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello beautiful people.｡.:*☆ here it is another chapter of this fic :3 we've been having an amazing time writing it and are putting so much effort in it, so we appreciate a lot the incredible support it's been getting✿ prepare and grab a snack because this is a long chapter as always :3 we hope you're enjoying it so far✧･ﾟ: *  
> -cassiahalley.

**Day 3**

**In the bedroom – Morning.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MACzQc6FlRM)

The morning sunlight that enters the room though the blinds feels warm when it reaches Gary’s pale skin as he stretches on his bed, his bulky muscles moving in tandem and a low groan escaping his lips. The crane operator rubs his tired eyelids and looks at his side— he’s alone, but faintly remembers Minni slipping out of his cuddle little time after the lights went on. With blurry vision and puffy eyelids, his crystal blue eyes scan the communal bedroom, which is empty. It even surprises him that Dicky, being the slob that he is in mornings and how hard it is to usually get him out of bed, isn’t having a lie in. The blond doesn’t recall hearing _everyone_ getting up but is glad to have this small alone time for himself.

The two days Gary’s spent on Love Island have gone better than he ever expected, especially because he considers himself lucky to be coupled up with such a nice bird as Minerva. They have so much in common, he reckons; this makes things between them flow smoothly, her personality making him always feel so at ease and to want to be by her side, constantly giving him the sensation that he could tell her _anything_. This past couple of days he’s done nothing but to adore clowning around with her, her light giggles being music to his ears and sense of humour making him feel home.

He must admit that they began things too strongly, but he also wanted to get off to a flying start here, so that’s no real issue to him. His internal conflict relies on the intrusive thought that he can’t get too attached to her for the sake of being safer in the competition, an annoying idea that has followed him since yesterday. Needless to say, he can’t get that worry out of his head. And, although he’s not sure about settling with the smart brunette yet, he would still like to keep getting to know her.

Interrupting his trail of thought, said freckled physics student saunters into the room with quick, padding footsteps, her fuzzy socks muffling the sound of her small feet against the tiles. As soon as he sees her petite figure walking towards him, the blond man squints to make sure that it’s actually her, because he’s not wearing his glasses yet— but that two-piece set of white silk pyjamas adorned with glittery silver stars and paired with those socks is unmistakable to him already, so his face lights up instantly and he sits up straighter to greet her.

“Alright, Minni?” Gary says with a deep morning voice.

The girl looks at him with her impressive bright cobalt eyes, long eyelashes batting and a soft smile forming in her plumped lips. Without saying anything, she gets closer to their bed and lifts the duvet. With a swift motion, the young girl climbs inside, shortening the distance between the two. Her exposed legs brush against his, and Gary notices that her skin is cold. He feels the slight urge to wrap himself around her to give her warmth.

“Hey,” the brunette responds, her voice airy and silky.

She woke up not long ago and decided to head straight to the kitchen to have some breakfast without waking Gary up, since she noticed that he was sleeping like the dead, probably too tired due to yesterday’s events. She was planning on making him a nice cuppa, just like he made one for her yesterday, but as soon as she saw, much to her disbelief, Marisol and Hannah fighting in the kitchen over who got to make Gary breakfast, the physics student went straight to the bedroom to kind of make an unspoken statement, even though she’s never been a competitive person.

Still smiling at Gary, Minni gets cosy under the smooth bedsheets, the soothing crane operator’s warmth radiating from the small distance between them. He puts his big arm over the pillow where her head is placed at, and his smirk becomes a beam.

“Hey, you,” he murmurs, his sight scanning her delicate features, her beauty never ceasing to amaze him. “Wanna tuck in some breakfast with me?”

“I wouldn’t go to the kitchen if I were you,” the young girl sighs, her look darting to the door. “The girls were fighting over you.”

Surprised by her statement, Gary’s eyes widen. “Which girls?”

“Hannah and Marisol,” Minni whispers, a smirk tugging her lips.

The blond man rolls his eyes when he processes the information. Since the first day, he has gotten flirty vibes from the both of those girls. Not that he is complaining about it— he reckons Marisol is alright because sometimes her bold attitude reminds him of his nan, and that brings him a sense of familiarity. But Hannah is surely not his type and, on top of that, she participates in this whole drama game alongside Lottie, both girls being frosty to new girl Priya ever since she entered the Villa. In honest words, he could never see himself with a girl like that. It’s not all bad, though, because knowing that they’re truly attracted to him widens his options, and that increases his chances of staying in the show.

“I hate all that drama,” he tells his brunette partner. “Hannah’s the worst for it. Her and Lottie, anyway.” Gary shakes his head and makes a pause to think for a second. He starts smiling when he reminds himself that Minni is right next to him now, wanting to have a chat with her. “Minni, w—”

He gets interrupted by the sound of heavy and urgent footsteps coming through the door. The pair turns around to see Hannah and Marisol racing into the bedroom, tripping over each other with their plates of food. A brief moment passes before they notice Minni being under the covers, with Gary lying on his side next to her.

“I can’t believe you!” Hannah exclaims dramatically.

Taken by surprise, the couple exchanges a look, the man’s hand protectively not moving from his partner’s shoulder. The physics student surely didn’t expect the girls to come in that strong and make a fuss about the situation, especially knowing that Gary is in a couple with her already.

Unlike the redhead, Marisol laughs at the scene. She never expected Minni to actually get in bed with Gary after sneaking out of the kitchen, despite being coupled up with him. The move makes the Spanish girl consider that, despite her ever happy-go-lucky persona, the brunette could be one to watch out for. “Well played, Minni. Well played.”

“What’s going on in here then?” Gary asks, confused. He unconsciously shifts slightly closer to the girl beside him.

“I made you breakfast!” Hannah exclaims with a glimmered expression, hoping she’s leaving Gary with a good impression.

“ _We_ made you breakfast, actually. Both of us,” the law student clarifies.

The crane operator holds back a laugh, quite enjoying the spotlight and entertained by the odd scenario. He doesn’t remember girls actually competing for his attention like this back in Chatham, unless is at a crowded club or late at night in the pub, and wishes Dicky could be here to witness this because the mechanic probably won’t believe him when he tells him later on.

“Wow, ladies… I’m spoilt of choice!” Gary chuckles lightly. Then, he turns to Minni, a mischievous tint on his features. He feels the need to let her know he is most definitely respecting that he’s in a couple with her. Plus, he offered her to share breakfast anyway. “Which one do you want, babe?”

After hearing his words, Hannah’s face falls and Marisol raises an eyebrow at his audacity. Minni’s big blue eyes twinkle and she can’t avoid pursing her lips, trying to contain a giggle. She never expected her daring move to end up so good, and have Gary give her one of the breakfasts that the girls made for him. After thinking for a second, she kindly turns to Marisol.

“I want Marisol’s, please,” she says with a soft smile. Next, she gently takes the plate from the Spanish girl and picks up the fork. There’s a flicker of amusement in the older girl’s dark eyes, and she finds herself thinking that maybe this forward version of Minni is even more attractive than the hunk next to her.

Because of this, Gary has no choice but to take the plate from Hannah. He also wanted Marisol’s dish, but he lets Minni have it because he offered her to choose first anyway. “Not really my thing, avocados,” the bulky man mutters quietly.

Then, he ignores the fork and picks up the toast with his hands while Hannah looks on, shell-shocked. Minni doesn’t get why Gary’s brute way of eating surprises the red-haired girl so much, until she reminds herself that she has seen him wolf down his breakfast, lunch and dinner up close before, in the exact same way. Maybe his nan would nag him after seeing him eating like that on national TV, although that the Cantabrigian knows for a fact that he looks like he has the manners of England’s royalty in comparison to Dicky.

Quietly next to him, the brunette takes a small bite of Marisol’s Spanish tortilla. It’s not as good as Bobby’s omelettes, but it’s delicious and overall tasty. She’s about to be nice and compliment her on it, when Hannah decides to speak, a deep frown in her freckled face.

“I hope you’re pleased with yourself, Minerva. You’ve ruined everything!” she whines.

“He was going to share brekkie with me anyway,” the other blue-eyed girl tries to explain, blinking in confusion at the ginger’s exaggerated behaviour.

“You don’t know that!” she exclaims back.

Beside her, Marisol stays quiet, not wanting to be part of such bickering. Gary’s puzzled expression darts back and forth between the pair of girls, not knowing what to do. He just hopes Minni is able to defuse the situation.

“I’m not gonna argue with you over a guy, babe,” the physics student sighs sincerely, trying to calm Hannah down.

“Ugh, you’re so exasperating!” the other girl exclaims.

The Cantabrigian bites her tongue, not wanting to be part of pointless drama this early in the day. Chill as she is, she decides to take a more mature approach to the situation and leave it there, not engaging and keeping quiet as Hannah fumes in front of her. Before anyone can say something else, though, they all watch the red-haired girl storm off without saying another word. When she slams the door close behind her, Marisol turns to the couple once again.

“You two look cosy. Got room for one more?” she proposes, flirty.

A small, mischievous smile forms in Minni’s lips. Now that she thinks about it, she’s not completely opposed to the idea, or at least to the suggestion that Marisol is hinting at but wouldn’t admit it out loud because she could easily be judged for it. At her side, Gary is truly taken aback by her somewhat courageous question and has no clue on how to respond. He just hopes he’s not wildly blushing and looks at Minni, waiting for her reaction.

In that moment, Marisol shakes her head. “Don’t worry. I think you’ve earned this one, Minerva,” she states.

After that, the dark blonde girl calmly walks away, not even looking back. As soon as she disappears, Minni turns to Gary with a sheepish grin, and he smiles back, blushing a little. Next, he leaves his empty plate on the nightstand and so does she; she hasn’t finished her delicious Spanish tortilla yet. Maybe it would be a good idea complimenting Marisol on it and thanking her later on, the blue-eyed girl naively thinks.

“Well, that could’ve ended worse,” the man comments, light-heartedly taking his unused fork and poking at her side with it. Minni giggles at his statement at first, feeling a little more relaxed knowing that, indeed, things didn’t end up as bad as they could’ve, especially because almost getting caught in an argument over _a boy_ is not something she’s comfortable with. Next, feeling Gary’s fork on her side amplifies her laughter, and he surely notices. “Aw, you’re ticklish,” he says playfully, a devilish grin stretching his bearded cheeks.

Before the girl can reply, the crane operator is quick to pull her into a hug and give her one of his classic cuddles as he keeps poking at her. Next, he chooses to discard the fork and begins to tickle her mercilessly, erupting into laughter when he sees her squirming and giggling uncontrollably. Trying to stop him, Minni faintly squeals in delight. But Gary is stronger, obviously, and having his arms wrapped around her makes her impossible to escape his tickles. Although she is uselessly pushing him away and running out of breath, he doesn’t have intentions to stop his attack yet.

“Can I get you guys anything?” a classy feminine voice says next to them.

This makes the muscular man rapidly stop and turn around, just to see Chloe standing next to the bed. She is staring at them with a smirk, her posture being gracious and brunette hair arranged in a messy side braid that is falling over her shoulder. Her hazel eyes narrow just as her smirk widens; it looks like she intends to mess with them a bit.

“Some snacks? A condom, perhaps?” she continues. Entertained by their shy reactions to her banter, she bends over to her nightstand and searches for her shades. Without looking at the younger pair, she starts talking, “By the way, I dunno what’s happened with Hannah but she’s out near the pool ranting something about her cooking and Gary being unfair.” A cordial laugh slips out of her lips when she’s trying her best to be as neutral as possible. Chloe only remembers seeing Bobby trying to talk sense to the younger Islander before she came up here to grab her sunglasses. She glances at Minerva and Gary, who are exchanging a look and then sighing at how exaggerating Hannah is being. Before taking her exit from the room, the cellist gets distracted by the freshly made plate of Spanish tortilla that’s placed on her friend’s nightstand. “Is that a tortilla?” She asks enthusiastically. 

Minni blinks, puzzled at her unexpected question. “Um, yes?”

“Are you gonna finish it?” Chloe asks, her mesmerised look fixed on the dish.

“I don’t think so, babes. I’m already full,” the younger girl replies, smiling. Her expression brightens when she realizes that she could make the other girl happy by offering the food to her. “You want it?”

As expected, the other girl looks extremely pleased by the idea. “Of course I want it,” she says. Without waiting any longer, she hungrily grabs the plate with both hands and then heads towards the room’s exit. “Have fun, you two!”

Once she’s gone, the freckled student turns to Gary again. The crane operator just offers her a goofy smile, a comfortable silence growing between the pair as he still has his muscular arms wrapped around her small frame. From the bedroom, they can hear cluttering far away at the kitchen and the sound of laughter and chatter coming from the pool. Minni relaxes between her partner’s arms and leans her head over his broad chest comfortably.

Now that they’re finally alone, the blond man reckons that it is a good moment to introduce the topic of having a serious private chat. He wants to make sure that Minni wants to try things with him as much as he wants to try things with her, but at the same time he wants to take things slow and get to know all of the girls fist, especially the classy cellist that has caught his attention since yesterday. Her quick interruption just reminded him how much he’s starting to fancy her, much to his surprise as he would’ve never expected to be into such an elegant bird. Besides, despite always being the first one to jump to big commitments when he really likes a girl, Gary doesn’t really like to rush things— he prefers when it all comes naturally, just like it’s happening with Minni so far.

“Can I ask you, now that we’re in private…” he starts with a soft voice. The girl lifts her head and her blue eyes go immediately to his face and scan his handsome features, paying him full attention. There’s something special in the way Minni pays attention to people when they’re speaking to her, he notices; it’s like somehow she makes them feel welcome as she listens. “Where’s your head at? What are you thinking about you and me?”

“Honestly?” the physics student asks him, blinking a couple of times.

The Chathamite just nods in response, his pulse starting to pick up in pace at the anticipation.

Although Minni knows that Gary is the one she likes the most as of now, she’s also starting to feel unsure about sticking with him so soon. Today’s breakfast event has proven to her that there’s not one, but two other girls that fancy him too, and she doesn’t know him too well to be certain that he won’t get his head turned in an instant, even when she trusts him. It’s not that the competition scares her, but it reminds her that this is a game, that she has to play her cards well, despite refusing to be calculative. She has also felt that they could be going in too strong on each other, despite admitting that it’s inevitable considering how easy things seem to be going between them.

Hanging out with him has been so fun, the kiss they shared was an otherworldly experience, and she feels attracted to him like if he had a gravitational field especially made to pull her towards his body. Plus, he is incredibly hot, and she rates his personality, his banter and cheekiness in a way that she never expected. But, disappointingly, she understands that she’s not immersed in a normal scenario and that focusing all her attention on him could get her dumped if he changes his mind all of the sudden.

The brunette is sure that she wants to get to know Gary better, but she also wants to try things with some of the other boys, to expand her options. Although most of them have shown interest in her already, except for Noah and Dicky, the one she has her eye on the most after her current partner is Rocco. The curly-haired Islander has paid special attention to her these two days, offering her smoothies and trying to have flirty chats, something that Minni appreciates a lot and makes her consider him as a solid second option. Still, she feels like she won’t be completely sure on who to settle on until she spends more days in the Villa and gets to know most of the boys first. So, because of this, the young girl promises to herself to hold back a little, to keep some distance between her and Gary, even when she’s not chuffed by the idea. And, who knows? Perhaps she finds someone who ends up being a better fit for her, although she can’t imagine who.

“I’m… I’m happy,” she smiles, trying to find the right words to express her thoughts. “We clicked right away.”

Gary lets out a relieved breath at her declaration. “I’m glad you said that,” he exhales, his entire body relaxing at unison. “I think we’ve got a good connection so far. We’re clicking, you’re saying the right stuff, you seem like my type on paper. But…”

“It has only been three days,” Minni finishes his sentence. 

“Exactly,” he agrees, impressed by having her complete his phrase in such an accurate way. He’s happy that they’re on the same page, this completely making it easier for him to handle this entire Love Island dynamic. “I… I want to get to know everyone in here,” he explains, then.

His freckled partner nods, her features lighting up because that was exactly what she was going to suggest next. “Same here,” she responds with a beam, also feeling alleviated. She didn’t know what to expect from Gary in this situation but is glad that he’s as chill with all of this like she is. Minni would not stand to be coupled up with a jealous or controlling lad, especially considering that she’s not a jealous girl whatsoever. She absolutely rates non-possessive blokes. “It’s best for us to keep our options open for now.”

“I agree,” the crane operator replies, giving her a small cuddle.

After that, both stay in silence, staring at each other’s different shaded blue eyes. The more Minni looks at him and the more she gets to know him, the more she finds out how much they have in common and how compatible they are. In honest words, she never expected to encounter someone almost just like her in this reality show, someone who could be such a good match to her light-hearted, kind and relaxed personality. She’s positive that this could make them work really well as a couple if they eventually decide to stick together.

While the two look at each other, the tension starts to rise, both sets of eyes flicking briefly to the other’s lips. In a second, they remind themselves to take things slow, so they choose to break the sudden sultry atmosphere that has arisen in the warm morning air in between them.

“Fancy a lazy lie in?” they say, at the same time. Then, they blink at one another, quite surprised.

**In the daybeds – Morning.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-mlWA-KwEo)

Chloe sinks her slim toned figure into the comfort of the daybed’s white duvet and cool sheets. She softly hums out the satisfaction of relaxing after devouring her tea and toast. As much as she enjoys her bigger breakfasts, the occasional tea and toast is always a favourite of hers when there’s no enthusiasm for cooking. She stops to think about her dietary morning and remembers taking Minni’s leftovers and leaving the plate clean. Okay, so Chloe had a big breakfast, but she couldn’t just leave that Spanish meal unattended. The only problem after eating and chilling at the daybeds is trying to not fall asleep. Her eyelids seem to fight the urge of overlapping her bright honey-coloured eyes. _Perhaps a little nap wouldn’t hurt, right?_ Chloe thinks to herself. 

The sound of the morning birds chirping gradually faint and the musician comes to a peaceful sleep. Her cheek unconsciously snuggles one of the pillows as her face muscles easily relax. Just for a mere moment, Chloe’s able to find serenity within her extremely short slumber until she feels someone indiscreetly throwing their weight beside her. Refusing to turn and see who it is, Chloe already has a hunch of who it might be. 

“Oi! Wake up, _sleeping beauty_ ,” the brunette Islander can feel the sneer swirling through Dicky’s voice and mocks his partner with the nickname. She knows that he’s only calling her that because she’s said the same thing to him yesterday.

Stubbornly, she refuses to answer him and tries to force her sleep but defeatedly groans out her annoyance. The mildly drowsy Londoner sits up and angles her head to view a smug mechanic looking down at her with a grin corning the edge of his lips. In contrast, she responds squinting and forming a small pout.

“You couldn’t let me sleep for five minutes,” her small hands hide her face out of realisation that what she’s said sounds awfully familiar and muffles out a lamenting moan, “Oh god, I’m turning into you.” 

Dicky lightly chuckles at Chloe’s reaction and comfortably stretches his long legs over the bed’s duvet. He keeps his stare on the cellist as she’s sitting up now next to him. She looks quite tiny next to his long frame, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” 

A light-hearted giggle gleams her cheeks into a matching smile and playfully scrunches her nose, “I guess you’re alright.” 

They remain with a short cosy silence as they can see Hope applying sunscreen on Noah’s back over at the beanbags. Those two have never been separated ever since entering the Villa; it is almost a bit strange for the dark-haired duo.

“Look at those two,” Dicky scoffs a breath and rolls his eyes. “Don’t they look in love,” he sardonically raises his tone of voice to imitate what Hannah would have said. Returning to his normal vocals, Jason crosses his arms without losing sight of the couple. “Reckon we’ll be invited to their wedding?” He asks with sarcasm. 

Chloe brings the tip of her fingers over her lips to suppress her amusement but Dicky’s spot on impression of Hannah always entertains her. She can’t bring herself to minimise her facial expressions and breathes out a hefty laugh and instantly hears her current partner join the laughter, “They’ve become quite comfortable with themselves, haven’t they? This whole coupling thing is strange. I mean, I usually meet men through mutuals or the occasional Tinder. But like, it’s just _mad_ how you’re ‘coupled’ up with someone from day one. Quite bizarre, if you ask me.” 

She doesn’t hear a response from the dark-haired man and shifts her head to see Dicky tracing his name printed on his personalised water bottle with his lengthy finger. He laughs at the Tinder comment and Chloe straightens her back while arching an eyebrow to his reaction.

“May I ask what’s so funny?” 

The dark-haired girl can tell how much effort Jason is putting into keeping his thoughts to himself but his concealed lips upturn into another one of his knowing grins. If only she knew the majority of blokes use the bloody app to search for sex, “Tinder is not a good place to find a boyfriend, mate.” 

Chloe jokingly rolls her eyes and smiles out a chuckle to such a common misconception. Just because women are on Tinder, doesn’t necessarily mean their objective is to find prince charming. Sure, it’d be convenient to find a partner through a phone device but, realistically, Chloe knows that the rare times she’s ever used the app, it’s only scratched an itch.

“Who said I was looking for a boyfriend?” Her voice rumbles in cleverness to her answer. 

Lifting his astonished dark eyebrows, Dicky lingers his bewildered sight on the musician. He really wasn’t expecting such an elegant-looking girl to say something like that but feels a fascination increase towards her. He can’t help but stretch an impressed grin at her comeback and nods, “Alright, fair play.” The Chatham native smoothly comes closer to the stunning golden-eyed woman and leans close to her ear, almost like he wants to tell her something secretive. “Although I get the feeling you’re girlfriend material,” he lowly mumbles his breath thinly layering the side of the cellist’s face. 

Chloe provocatively leans closer to the mysterious mechanic, instantly sensing his musky cedar-like scent and finds the aroma quite attractive. Her naturally curved lashes flicker with playfulness matching those vivid orbs and widens her sensual smile to hear the compliment.

“I _know_ I’m girlfriend material. I’m just selective with who I share those qualities with,” she softly whispers to Dicky, mimicking the same secretive tone of voice he was first using. 

The raven-haired man looks down at his beautiful partner and keeps his easy-going smirk. His deep stare instinctively lingers to admire her soft-looking plump lips and gulps in the desire to sample the glamorous Islander. 

“A preview of that would be nice,” he charmingly sways in a toothy smile at the flirty turn of their chat. Gladly, he’s happy to graft on such a magnetic bird. 

The brunette young woman mildly lifts the inner corners of her neatly trimmed eyebrows and lightly bites her bottom lip, sighing out a smile, “Dicky, I reckon we’ll taste each other’s breakfast from earlier. It won’t be a pretty picture.” 

At some point, profound shades of vibrant hazel eyes lure with eagerness swimming around their pupils. Jason’s larger fingers trace Chloe’s impeccable jawline and tenses to his touch. He hears a faint gasp suck into her mouth just to sense his forehead meets hers. The pair of lips teasingly close enough, they can almost taste each other’s breath.

“There’s only one way to find out, darling,” his deep vocals rumble out a quiet whisper only she'll be able to grasp. Their faces feel hot at the anticipation of their inquisitive nature.

The mechanic puckers his soft lips against Chloe’s, bravely initiating the gentle peck. With a skip of his heartbeat, he feels her warm mouth waste no time to respond and moves her mouth with his. The cellist’s small hand cups the side of his face whilst feminine fingers grazing over his ebony stubble. Her touch is gentle but her kiss contrasts wonderfully with firmness. A low groan muffles Dicky’s throat when he effortlessly feels her tongue poke the inside of his lips and tongues glide around their snog. While he enjoys the initiative of Chloe guiding their intimacy, he now takes the lead and slightly tilts his head to deepen their kiss. His large hand travels to the back of her head, keeping her locked into his mesmerising tongue. 

A faint sigh whispers out of Chloe in response to Dicky’s dominant mouth refusing to let go of hers just yet. His lips rhythmically sync with the petite musician’s and all she can do is travel her hands up to his strong shoulders and pull him closer to her. His skin tingles with warmth to her gentle caresses and starts to hear the gentle smack sound of their lips detaching. 

Jason looks down at the sight of extraordinary honey-coloured orbs that shine with satisfaction to their kiss. For a moment, he’s forgotten how hard his heart is beating and remains in awe of how passionate she delivers her affection. Admittedly, ever since being coupled up with Chloe, he’s remained with curiosity of what she’s like as a kisser and, bloody hell, she did not disappoint.

Waiting for a reaction, Chloe only spots his slit dark eyebrow lift and squints an unsure eye at her, “Eh, I’ve had better. It was a nice effort, love.”

Little does she know, the unbothered Islander considers her as one of the best girls he’s ever laid lips on but he isn’t going to tell her that. He’s still trying to recover his short breath from how magnificent her tongue danced with his a minute ago. 

The Londoner parts her lips out of shock to even hear Dicky say that in front of her. A small frown gravitates on her blushed lips and lightly puffs her irritated cheeks. She lightly slaps his inked forearm but fails to fight her entertained smile; Dicky just _had_ to ruin the moment, “I didn’t even want to kiss your grumpy face. That was your idea.”

Jason scrunches his face into a staged painful look and lowers his eyebrows, pretending like her gentle slap actually hurt him. “Mate, I already got Gary doing that to me,” he says while his hand soothes his forearm. 

With a smile hovering on her mouth, Chloe rolls her honey-hazel eyes. She can’t ignore how great of a snog Dicky has shared with her. Despite the whole stern and sarcastic bad boy image he’s managed to display, there’s more to him than meets the eye. Her first impression is how skilful he is, which doesn’t quite come as a surprise when he’s got those kissable lips. The dark-haired man may be a cranky bloke but seeing the flirtatious side of Dicky intrigues Chloe.

“And a piece of advice if I may, keep your slobber to yourself, hun. It’s not cute.” She doesn’t know why but throwing roasts at him makes his upset face look funnier than usual. 

The tall brunet mechanic is now the one with an opened jaw and blankly stares at her pompous grin. He grumbles out of his annoyed pout, “Oh yeah, well you…” Dicky’s voice goes quiet to skim through Chloe’s flaws he might’ve not caught from their snog but is stumped to not find any. 

The posh-looking brunette carries a glimmered expression and sees him crossing his long arms and mumbles out what she thinks are irked words. She softly laughs at the handsome dark-haired man and can’t tell if her eyes are deceiving her, but Dicky’s face is flushed out of embarrassment. 

Her hand lightly cups his narrow chin covered in short raven-coloured facial hair, “Aw, that’s alright, hun. I accept your compliment. I reckon you’re a great kisser, too.” 

He slumps his shoulders and side glances at the gorgeous classical musician honouring him with one of her brightening smiles that could make any man drop to her feet. The smile is contagious enough to convert his frown into a small grin curl at the corner of his lips. 

“I’m sure a few of these blokes will be a bit jealous of me snogging you first,” Jason jokes teasingly. 

Chloe crumples her nose and lifts a side of her upper lip in confusion, “Why would they be jealous?” She asks curiously. 

The Chatham mechanic angles his head and throws her a knowing look, “Mate, you’re a proper sort and, if you haven’t noticed, you haven’t exactly been approached by anyone. Don’t you see the issue here?” He effortlessly uses his hands to signal himself as the problem for the stunning cellist.

If it wasn’t for Gary, he would’ve never noticed that he was unintentionally scaring some of these lads from grafting on Chloe. It’s early days and he doesn’t find it fair for someone as sound as his partner to not be given the opportunity to crack on with the others. 

She frowns as she begins to analyse her past couple of days here. She starts to mentally debate with the statement and recalls having friendly chats with the majority of the guys but Dicky kind of has a point; none of them dared to graft on her. Her frown deepens and looks down at her bare thighs. As much as she enjoys Dicky’s company, she does feel strange to know the rest of the girls have been flirted with, especially her friend Minerva, but never her.

Chloe shakes her head and flickers her lashes in disagreement, “Jason, you can’t possibly be the issue. I know for a fact that _I’m_ not the most open girl in the Villa when it comes to romance, of course.” 

A minimal chuckle huffs out of Dicky’s mouth and appreciates her trying to blame it on herself, but he knows that he’s the issue. He slides a little closer to the thoughtful young performer and they’re now sitting beside each other, observing more of their fellow Islanders sauntering over the rest of the beanbags, “Come on now, love. You’re quite the open person with me and, since we’re kinda confessing already, I’m the same.” 

Bringing her water bottle nozzle near her mouth, she uses it to cover up her upcoming canny comment, “Hah, I haven’t noticed.” 

His glare darts down to Chloe before lightly rolling his eyes. He wants to playfully bicker with her but tries to go back to the point he wants to make, “Look, what I’m trying to say is that I reckon these lads deserve to get to know you and I’m scaring them away from you. And, as much as I think you’re a lovely girl, it’s also best that I get to know some of the other birds.”

He does fancy Chloe and never thought he’d take a liking to such an elegant woman like her. She’s one of the most chill and witty girls he’s ever interacted with. But he can’t continue to hide the fact that he’s starting to fancy Minerva quite a bit too. Every time he’s exchanged glances with her darkened-blue eyes, he can’t deny how inviting the warmth circles around his own orbs. He has tried not to think much about it but is also overly intrigued and confused on why he feels that way about her. For now, Dicky is only sure that it’s fair that he and Chloe get an opportunity to crack on with the others, especially when it’s early days. 

Chloe nods as she thinks about Dicky’s proposition. She has to say that she completely agrees. She’s spent all of her time with him and as enjoyable as it was, she has to see if she fancies anyone else here. So far, she knows that she fancies Jason. Physically, he’s a bit of her; the dark hair, tall height, his banter delights her every time.

“Yeah… okay. I suppose getting to know the rest of the boys wouldn’t hurt either.” A smile stretches over her full lips and looks over at her partner, returning a faint grin to their agreement. 

Her look scans across the field to spot each boy. Chloe’s gaze quickly glides to view Ibrahim concentrating on how Gary is lifting those massive weights, almost like he’s guiding the blond how to properly do it. Bobby’s bending over the oven, probably fixing up some of his pastries, while Rocco is preparing one of his wheatgrass smoothies, perhaps in an attempt to impress Minni, who’s sitting nearby. And Noah sitting with Hope along with the rest of the girls around the beanbags area. The glamorous Londoner slouches with doubt and pouts in thought. _None of these boys seem to be my type. Argh, stop thinking like that!_

Sometimes, she wonders if she’s even meant to be in Love Island. This place moves quickly, and she doesn’t. She’s been afraid of being eventually dumped because of how slow she takes things and Dicky is the perfect example of that. If he hadn’t asked, Chloe would’ve never brought up the kissing proposal. There’s got to be a way that she can keep up with this bloody show’s pace and she knows that getting to know the rest of the men here is the only way to go. 

They sit in comfortable silence as they people watch— a strange activity Dicky’s bonded over with Chloe since they’ve been in the Villa. A sudden chirp loudly expresses through Jason’s phone, bringing the attention to the dark-haired couple. 

“I’ve got a text!” The Chatham mechanic announces for the rest of the group and looks down to the bright screen to read the message out loud.

<Islanders, tonight there will be a Recoupling. The boys will choose. Whoever is still single by the end of the evening will be dumped from the Villa immediately. #timesup #getgrafting.>

Chloe and Dicky lift their heads from staring at his phone and exchange surprised expressions. A Recoupling is exactly the type of pressure that would make anyone in the Villa nervous. Eventually, they see a small tanned Spanish girl strolling near the daybeds and glimpses over at the couple. A flirty smirk curls at the crease of her lips and delivers a bold wink towards Jason. 

He brings the back of his long fingers to his dark stubble, smoothing out his hidden smirk and meets his mysterious glare with Marisol’s. He’s been noticing how cheeky she’s been with him from afar and there’s no denying that Dicky is liking the female attention but isn’t too sure about Marisol. She’s always trying to analyse everyone, finding that a bit irritating for his taste.

The tall mechanic quietly grumbles to feel something poking his bare torso and it’s Chloe gleefully nudging him with her elbow. He looks down to see a smirk working on a light giggle rumble near his ear. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” she says before swinging her legs to the edge of the bed and hops off. Dicky sees her graciously walk over to chat with some of the girls at the fire pit. 

**In the roof terrace – Noon.**

Before entering the rooftop terrace, Gary peaks his head out the door to see if anyone is there. Sky blue eyes scan the place and a sigh of relief flies out of his mouth to see the outdoor seating area empty. He guides himself towards the edge of the cushioned bench and props his elbows on top of his exposed knees as he’s lost in thought.

After the Recoupling text Dicky announced, it only brought a dilemma to Gary’s thoughts and needed to find some headspace to think things over. He’s now conflicted on picking between Minni and Chloe.

He knows what he’s got with Minerva is going great and every time they take the opportunity to interact, he knows the mutual attraction continues to dwell. From the first day he’s been here, he’s felt comfortable with the astrophysics student and enjoys every minute of their cheeky banter. Yet, with such a short chat with the classical cellist, Gary can’t bring himself to believe how captivating he’s felt conversing with her. There’s no disagreement about the refined beauty Chloe easily displays but there’s something to her contrasting quirky personality that intrigues him. 

A silent groan rumbles in his throat to know there’s a Recoupling tonight and wanting to get to know Dicky’s bird only complicates everything. Choosing Chloe would take her away from his mate and he doesn’t even know if she even fancies him back; he’d take a big risk. And on the other hand, Gary doesn’t want to pie Minni off either. The time he’s spent with her has been the most fun he’s had in ages and is apprehensive about taking the wrong decision of letting her go. He doesn’t want to lose the special connection he’s made with her so far and then regret it when it’s too late to couple up back with her.

“I don’t know what to do,” Gary mumbles to himself. 

The abrupt clicking sound of the door swings open. His hometown friend spots the distressed blond. Green-hazel eyes ease to see Gary here and Dicky shakes his head at how long it took him to find his mate, “Oh, I was looking for you, lad. You just disappeared after that text.” 

The tall raven-haired man takes a seat beside the muscular spiky-haired lad and tries to linger in a chat within their silence. Dicky instantly notices how strangely quiet his friend has become.

“So, how about that Recoupling tonight, eh? Can’t say I was expecting it to be so soon,” he exhales a chuckle to hear Gary forcibly join in the laughter. 

As much as he wants to avoid the Recoupling topic, the younger man needs to know what Dicky’s plans are. Regardless of fancying Chloe, Gary can’t get in the way of what his mate may have with his current partner.

“So, you know who you’re choosing tonight?” Gary asks coolly and keeps his stare on the older Islander. An easy-going grin upturns on the blond’s bearded cheeks, “I reckon you’ll stick with Chloe. She seems well into you.”

After hearing him, Dicky shifts his head towards Gary, seeing how his younger friend is waiting for a response. His slit dark eyebrow lifts, creating a bit of wrinkle on his forehead.

“Honestly? I’m thrown, man,” Dicky responds dubiously. Instantly, the Kent mechanic distinguishes the confusion swirling around Gary’s face and continues to explain when his mate remains quiet, “There’s just two birds that are doing it for me, really.” Jason folds his arms over his chest and squints at the heavy sun rays hitting his face. “Chloe is a proper sort and we do seem to get along pretty well but sometimes I feel like she’s not open enough to the idea of getting to know me. Like, the banter is there and she kinda makes me laugh— which says a lot, but yeah. I can’t tell if she’s truly bloody into me or not.” He ends his thoughts regarding the musician with a wary frown. 

Someone has to be utterly blind to not see the endless beauty that Chloe organically manifests. Without any effort, she makes any pair of eyes wander over to such a glamorous young woman but dangerous enough to feel infatuated towards her eccentrically charming personality. Dicky is sure that he fancies her and is relieved to know he got picked by the brunette beauty considering how unbearable the majority of the girls are in the Villa. Yet, there’s this bubbly freckled Cambridge student that can’t seem to escape his sight when she’s in his surroundings. Those big blue eyes sparkle with kindness and he can’t help but feel bewitched to the contrasting charisma.

A layer of hesitancy overcomes his mind and Dicky slouches his broad shoulders. He starts to compare his short-tempered traits with Minni’s cheery personality and concludes that, maybe, a romance will never work out between two incredibly different people. Not to mention that she’s his best mate’s partner as of now.

Weirdly enough, Gary almost feels like he is listening to Chloe’s exact words about Dicky. He precisely recalls how unsure she was about the brunet man last night and feels odder how the chat is in this very spot. The older couple are too much alike; it’s almost uncanny.

The muscular blond traces back to Dicky’s mention of gaining interest in another girl. He takes a minute to guess who the other bird may be, but he can’t think of anyone else brave enough to handle the grumpy man, let alone approach him to have a flirty chat.

“And the other one?” Gary asks curiously. 

“Huh?” Jason blinks his bright distracted sight at the interested spiky-haired man. 

“Yeah, you said there are two. Who’s the other lucky girl?”

A big grin lingers over Gary’s face again to know there’s someone else his cranky mate is interested in. He’s glad to see Dicky coming out of his shell and possibly not scaring away all these fit birds. Whether it’s Chloe or any other worthy girl, Gary knows they’ll be lucky to have someone like Jason as their partner.

 _Shit,_ the ebony-haired man curses in his head. He has no idea how that bit of detail slipped and, knowing the crane operator, he’s fully expecting to know who the woman is and won’t stop asking until he gets a proper response. Dicky’s tall frame lightly stiffens and gulps in Minerva’s sweet name from rolling out his dry tongue. Without having much of a choice, he tries to readjust his sitting position to see if his nerves vanish.

“Oh, the other one, um…” as much as he’s tried to rearrange the sentence in his head, there’s no other way to break the news to Gary, “She’s, uh… Minerva.” Jason’s baritone carefully lowers at the sound of the astrophysics student’s name.

Gary raises his thick darkened eyebrows without hiding the amazement to hear Dicky’s interest for Minni, “So you’re telling me that you fancy Minni?” His masculine voice rings with a tad playfulness to the question, “You, dickhead bad boy? Fancying bubbly and sweet Minni?”

Avoiding the blond’s look, Dicky glances down at his black shorts and wipes the bit of sweat outlining the top of his brow, strangely shy about the situation, “I… I think so.”

He’s almost uncertain how exactly Gary is reacting to the new information. His mate isn’t demonstrating any resentment nor discouragement. In fact, the blue-eyed man even seems kind of amused with his lips twitching into a restrained smirk.

Throwing his head back, Gary thunders a contagious chuckle, forgetting how much of a jokester this bloke can be and concluding that his statement was surely one of his sarcastic jokes.

“Good one, mate,” he says in between some short light-hearted laughs and strongly pats Dicky’s back. Once settling back to his amused smile, light blue eyes shift to witness Dicky’s expression remain with a serious frown and patiently waits for Gary to understand that he’s not saying this to be funny. The crane operator’s smile eventually disappears and mirrors his friend’s similar facial expression, “You have to be kidding me, lad. Are you being serious? Like, you’re not taking the piss?”

“I…” Dicky impatiently sighs at himself as his fingers glide within his raven-coloured locks. He wishes he could explain how but there’s no way to pinpoint why he fancies the freckled girl. “I don’t know yet. I can’t define what made me feel this way. It just _happened_ ,” his voice hisses at the difficulty of expressing his attraction towards the petite younger brunette out loud. “It kinda dawned on me yesterday so I thought that I might as well be a good mate and tell you eventually. Of course I’m not gonna act on it if you still wanna try things with her. You know I’m honest and respectful about this stuff, that I don’t mess around, so I reckon you should know that… it’s there.”

Gary feels perplexed but more pleasantly surprised than anything. For some reason, anger is not precisely in mind, less jealousy, just because his mate fancies the girl he’s coupled up with. In fact, Gary can’t blame Jason for finding Minerva compelling enough to want to get to know her more. How can he not when she’s such a lovely girl, he reckons. 

“I’m confused, lad,” Gary clings the tip of his fingers at the back of his neck and rubs off the peculiar turn of their chat. “Yesterday you were showering Chloe with compliments and you two seeming pretty solid. But now you’re telling me that you also fancy Minni? After you’ve been so… hard on her?” he questions, whilst pitching a higher note to the last of the statement. “I mean, I’m not judging, mate. I’m just confused about it all.”

Sinking lower into his seat, Dicky remains with his arms crossed and stubbornly grunts, this being his only answer to Gary. He’s not willing to admit out loud that he finds Minerva fascinating, especially after all the occasions he’s dismissed her as too sweet and perky for his taste— it already takes a lot for him to be less stubborn and admit to himself that, indeed, he likes her, and he can’t bear to explain to another person why he’s been so apathetic towards her kind-hearted persona. Without having to move his annoyed features, he can sense the younger blond’s gaping right through his face.

Gary’s facial muscles relax as he comes to a gradual realisation of Jason’s troubled thoughts on all of this. The shorter Islander leans closer as a sign of comfort for his friend.

“You were in denial, weren’t you?” Gary intently asks.

Dicky wisps low grumbles through his teeth this time, rather than those pesky grunts from earlier. Gary reckons it’s better than his last answer and decides to push a little more into the question. “Why?” the crane operator carefully insists this time, making sure the grouchy mechanic feels comfortable enough to share his feelings. Making Jason express himself is not an easy thing, and he knows that well.

It takes a moment for the mysterious dark-haired man to answer; almost like he’s trying his best to spit out more acknowledgement of how weird he feels for liking the intelligent young woman. There’s more reasons for not pursuing her than anything in Dicky’s mind and looms out a heavy sigh before speaking, “Minni and I are too different, mate.” 

Conflicted and battling with his own thoughts, Jason reckons that saying that him and Minni are complete opposites would be an understatement. Whereas the blue-eyed girl has always a smile lighting up her delicate features, the mechanic has a never-ending scowl framing his tough expression; by this point all of the Islanders are used to hear the girl’s light-hearted laugh lifting up the mood of wherever she is, and are still getting used to Dicky’s dismissive grunts being the majority of his answers at them trying to establish friendly conversations with him. Few people dare to approach the brunet man to chat, but everyone wants to spend time with Minni— the mechanic could be considered the raincloud of the Villa, and this young girl could be considered this place’s sunshine.

The few times they’ve stood side-by-side, Dicky recalls looking down at her, with his annoyed expression that now he knows deep down is to hide the fact that, whatever she does or says, she never misses to put a smile on his stubborn face, and seeing the physics student stare back at him and just _bloody laugh_ at his moodiness, whilst most people would be intimidated. Even the way he towers her small frame, with him mostly dressed in dark colours and her soft curves wrapped on pastel and shimmery clothing, is almost comical.

The uncanny differences between the two of them tell the rational part of his mind not to go there, that there’s almost no way they could be in a relationship. He convinces himself that he just fancies her because she’s undeniably fit, and that, if they were ever going to try it, Minni’s positive attitude will end up truly irritating him or that she will run out of patience after having to deal with his permanent frown for too long.

The mechanic’s thoughts drift over to Chloe, the girl who’s most compatible with him at the moment, the one he _kissed_ this morning. At first, he and the classical musician didn’t know if they’d even manage to keep up with small talk and, most to their surprise, they found each other’s company to be the most comfortable out of all. Despite Chloe’s elegance and refined nature differing Dicky’s stern and bad boy aura, they found their ideology relatively similar. Their shared humour and easy-going chats have established an inviting want to continue to know each other. Whilst it’s not romantic as of now, Dicky can’t deny that there’s something growing between him and Chloe. 

“So?” Gary calmly shrugs his strong shoulders, still not understanding what the problem is of finding his current partner attractive. “Minni’s amazing, lad,” he confidently reassures his mate about discovering that newfound pull towards the cobalt-eyed beauty.

It’s surely something odd for him to take in, but he can’t get mad at Dicky for it. Despite still wanting to pursue things with the blue-eyed girl, Gary wouldn’t mind letting his mate graft her, particularly considering how infrequent it is for Jason to actually fancy someone, less admit it out loud.

“And coupled up with _you_ ,” Dicky fumbles between those words and throws the other man a knowing look. He almost finds it odd how Gary’s not producing any bothered gestures about this. He’s just told him about fancying Minni and it’s not the exact reaction he’s expecting from the younger Chathamite, even knowing that he has never been a jealous bloke.

Gary huffs out a nonchalant chuckle now grasping Dicky’s concern about treading on his toes. He curls the crease of his lips into a comforting smile, “Minni and I talked about this, bruv. We both want to keep our options open and get to know everyone in here, so it could be a good idea if you wanted to try it with her now before she settles on someone. You know I’m not a possessive lad, so there’s no way I’ll stop you from grafting on her if you want. Yes, I still fancy her, but I also want to get to know the rest of the girls too.”

A glimmer of happiness swims in the clear pool of blue hue from Gary’s eyes knowing that he still has Chloe as an option for tonight if Dicky decides to choose Minni, after all. The possibility of announcing the Londoner as his partner brings a bit of excitement to his chest and wonders what she could think of being picked by him. 

The brawny blond parts his lips as he’s about to confess his growing interest towards the older brunette but is quick to clasp his regretful lips into a thin line. Perhaps it’s not a good idea to tell Jason just yet. It’s not that Gary doesn’t trust him, but he’d rather keep his cards close to his chest, not knowing if Chloe even fancies him back. Dicky’s coupled up with the gorgeous golden-eyed girl but even the cranky brunet can’t tell if she sees him in a romantic way, let alone Gary. Also, he’s been told how neutrally friendly the refined girl has been with Dicky. It’s best to remain observant for the time being and see where things go from there.

Dicky leans his back against the colourful decorative pillow from behind and exhales a breath of relief. His chest feels lighter after releasing a bit of those feelings that have been bottled up. At least knowing that Gary’s okay with how he feels gives him a shed of contentment.

“So you’re giving me the green light to pick Minni if I want to?” Dicky twists his handsome facial features into a tense look. For some strange reason, saying the word ‘pick’ and the blue-eyed girl’s name in the same sentence makes his heart skip a beat, only to confuse him more.

His mate reassuringly nods his head with a prominent grin stretching those golden stubbled cheeks. Gary lightly pats Dicky’s bare back, “Don’t worry about it, bruv. I reckon being coupled up could be your best way to find out if you really fancy her or not.”

Keeping his mouth shut, Dicky rumbles out a hum of oxygen through his nostrils. To think the Recoupling will occur later tonight only zaps levels of incitement and anxiousness. He’s still so unsure about his situation, something that is so unlike him— he’s always the one to take risks and go with his gut before thinking it twice, but now the fact that his brain urges him to play it safe and says _Chloe,_ then a warmth inside his chest whispers _Minni,_ has him properly indecisive.

Both Kent natives sit in silence allowing the heat of the Spanish sun blaze over their skin. 

“I reckon she’d be well shocked if you say her name tonight,” Gary laughs quietly at the thought of Minni’s big eyes darting in shock if she hears Dicky reveal her as the chosen girl. In fact, he’s sure everyone else would resemble a similar expression. 

Dicky grins as he joins the imagery of Minni’s gobsmacked face if he picks her; it would become the best part of his day. Although he finds it cute when she’s mad, he hopes that she wouldn’t actually get angry at him for his unexpected decision. Or worse, that she wouldn’t be willing to try things with him at all— he’s messed with her a lot this last couple of days that he’s now preoccupied that she will think that his decision of picking her is another one of his pranks just to see her pissed off, a more elaborated one, rather than him actually fancying her and wanting to spend more time with her. Minni surely doesn’t look like a closed-minded bird and he knows for a fact that she’s open to get to know everyone, but there’s still the small chance that she doesn’t see him as more than a friend. It shocks him that this thought brings a deep sense of discomfort to his gut.

For a mere second, a flash of worry crosses Dicky’s disturbed green-hazel eyes. The gap between his dark eyebrows wrinkles as they lower with doubt about the possible unrequited interest.

“You think it could be mutual? I mean, that she could fancy me back?” he asks with a rare soft tone of voice, seemingly attempting to seek Gary’s support. 

The blond scrunches his nose as he thinks. His fingers smooth out the golden facial hair above his upper lip and lightly taps his fingertips on his mouth as he continues to ponder on the question, “Mate, I don’t know, if I’m honest. Minni’s hard to read when it comes to that— even _I_ had a hard time convincing myself that she fancies me, because she’s just so nice and cheeky with all people.”

Dicky breathes out a hefty groan thinking how challenging it’ll be if he tries things out with Minerva. Perhaps it will all be a risky gamble if he spends his time getting to know the friendly university student and results with them remaining as friends. Having Chloe in the back of his mind doesn’t help when he knows they already have a good thing going on right now and letting go of her tonight could also be a mistake. All of this has transformed into a whole game and he loathes how he needs to make sure to carefully shuffle his cards. Tension draws an uncomfortable warmth to his cheeks when he’s indecisive between the two girls.

“I don’t wanna be the reason Chloe gets sent home. I’m worried because it’s my fault that the other lads have not been grafting on her,” he confesses to his younger mate.

Seeing how distressed his friend is about Chloe being at risk only brings an urge for Gary to blurt out that he’ll be picking her tonight if he doesn’t but refrains his tongue from telling Dicky. Part of him wants to expose the magnetism he senses towards the musical performer, but the crane operator still doesn’t know if the feeling is mutual with her. The only private chat he’s had with the glamorous girl, her impressive flirtatious energy was only gifted to him to prove a point, but Gary needs to find out if she’s ever thought of him as more than an acquaintance.

A sudden wave of confusion washes all over Gary, almost to resemble his mate’s state. He’s got a good thing going on with Minni and she seems to be his type of girl on paper— perhaps letting go of her too soon by switching to someone else could cost him being in a couple that would most definitely work, especially considering how fun his time with her has been already and that he still wants to get to know her. As of now, he hasn’t taken a definitive decision, but choosing on who he is going to pick becomes way easier when he realizes that there’s no way the blue-eyed girl could get mad at him for wanting to get to know someone else too. He knows things will be alright between the two whether he decides to stick with his current partner or to pick Chloe.

The only thing the blond man can do in the middle of his trail of thought is faintly smile at the troubled mechanic and try to convey the reassurance with his response.

“Don’t worry, Emsworth. If you step aside, I guarantee you that all the lads in here will throw themselves at her,” he says. A short laugh muffles in his chest, making his shoulders lightly shake to the humorous imagery. 

Dicky follows along with the laughter knowing that it’s not much of an exaggeration and nods in agreement, “Argh, you’re right, mate. I guess I’ve been overthinking all of this. I’m sure one of the blokes here will feel proper buzzed for picking her.”

The silence between the men resumes, both slowly submerging in their thoughts about tonight’s Recoupling. Whilst they ponder their options, equally indecisive, they can faintly hear the two brunette girls’ enchanting voices echoing across the Villa as they seem to be sharing one of their friendly conversations, the distinctive sounds not helping them come to a proper decision at all.

**Recoupling – Evening.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mhI7HLvUT0)

The group of beautiful girls stand beside one another, creating a long row of female Islanders and facing the boys as they sit quietly behind the flamed fire pit. The whole group carries a reserved silence until a phone loudly chimes. A tall dark-skinned librarian hops off his seat and stands confidently to know he’s going first.

“That’s me,” Noah announces.

Facing the line of girls, he randomly glimpses from one girl to another until they’re fixed on Hope’s. The dark-skinned woman breaks out into a grin lighting up her face with Noah immediately flashing a bright smile back.

The reserved man breathes deeply before starting on his speech. There’s a bit of pressure within him to know he’s the first to do this but manages to remain collected, “I’ll be honest. I came here to find someone to join me on my journey through life—” 

“Wait, aren’t you meant to start with ‘I’d like to couple up with this girl because’?” Gary’s dark eyebrows doubtfully raise to his question. Although he can’t fully correct Noah on how to arrange the speech when he still doesn’t know what he’ll say when it’s his turn. 

“Shh! Let him speak!” Hope throws the muscular blond a scowl and looks back at the tall man with a pleased smile.

Standing next to her in the row of girls, Minni twitches her lips inwardly to hold back a giggle and manages to successfully compose herself. She’s most definitely feeling anxious by this whole Recoupling ordeal, but she remains chill by knowing that there’s a small chance for her to be going home today, as more than one of these boys has shown interest in her. She’s not even near to feeling overconfident, but that thought alone brings her enough sense of reassurance to have her lips forming a small smile in the middle of all this ceremony. Her sight locks with Gary, her current partner, who is just blinking at the sight of Noah throwing him a hard look for having interrupted him.

Then, the librarian resumes with his speech and ultimately announces Hope as his partner. A bigger gleam illuminates her face to hear her name coming from Noah. All the Islanders burst into applause as she makes her way towards the quiet man and shares a short peck before taking a seat. The silence dominates as the first recoupled pair settles beside each other and everyone patiently waits to see who’s next. 

Another ring bursts out of someone’s phone and everyone’s heads turn to see Ibrahim push himself off his seat, taking a good look at the girls standing before him. The speech is short but quite sweet when he mentions Priya as the girl to be his partner. The dark-red haired woman returns a grateful smile at the golf player and happily struts her heels over to him. They share a wholesome embrace and take their designated seats while staring at the remainder of the girls waiting to be partnered up with someone. 

Priya’s look meets with Chloe’s, seemingly trying to disguise the internal dismay of possibly going home tonight. Even from a distance, she notices her new friend throwing an encouraging smile and the tense musician replies with a simple nod. Next to Minerva, the young Londoner has enjoyed the fun chats with the newest incomer. They bonded by sharing similar fashionably high-end wardrobe and generally clicked with their talks. What really stands out is the enthusiasm Priya has when sharing her endless collection of body sprays to the golden-eyed girl. It almost competes with Chloe’s skincare obsession as she’s proudly displayed her collection of luxurious facial creams to the interested olive-skinned beauty. 

A few moments later, another phone goes off and Bobby jumps up and clasps his hands together to know it’s now his turn. His bright eyes glimpse cheerfully at Minni’s first and she returns the same look with a small supportive smile. Just earlier today, they chatted about tonight’s Recoupling and, as much as he’d like to pick her, he knows it’s best to save a girl who’s potentially more in danger of getting dumped. Minerva is the least of his worries when it comes to a dumping when it’s evident that she’s got a few lads here contemplating her as a possible partner.

Standing in the line of girls, Chloe’s genuine smile faintly disappears into a frown and begins to doubt that she’ll be picked by any of these guys. Insecurity clouds her expression to recall Dicky telling her he’d like to get to know the rest of the girls. He will undoubtedly choose someone else tonight but only wonders where that will leave her. The gorgeous cellist is only mentally scolding herself for being reserved with the chats she’s had with the other blokes. She’s definitely not putting all her eggs in Dicky’s basket, but she regrets not being smart enough to chat up any of the other boys. She knows it’s only Noah and Ibrahim who have picked already but now it’s Bobby deciding on his next partner, well knowing he’s not going to choose her. 

“… we still have too much getting to know each other left in store!” Bobby wraps up his positive speech. “So without further ado, the person unfortunate enough to be locked into a couple with me is… Lottie! Come and get it, baby girl!” A widened grin graces his high cheekbones and signals the blonde girl to join him at the fire pit.

Hearing Lottie’s name coming from the Scottish Islander lifts a bit of pressure off Dicky’s shoulders. During Bobby’s speech, all the brunet man could do was try to minimise the nerves and hope he didn’t mention Minni’s name. Now that it’s just him, Gary and Rocco left, it brings a zest of anticipation in his features to know he’s getting closer to picking the astrophysics student— he has decided to take the risk and just follow his gut at the last minute.

Despite the tension of this situation, Jason’s facial expression relaxes when he lands his stare on Minni. He maintains his usual poker face while he scans her body up and down, his tough expression taking in the way she looks when wearing an all-black outfit, a colour so different from what he’s seen her wearing before and oddly matching his own clothing. Because her skin looks lighter in contrast, her eyes stand out and appear to be immense, even more when surrounded by glittery dark grey eyeshadow. Dicky swallows hard at the mesmerizing sight, trying to pull his look anywhere else as to not to give anything away.

After one last look at the blue-eyed young woman, he can’t believe that, in the midst of such a nervous atmosphere, her pale glossy lips are forming one of her characteristic sweet smiles, directed at her Scottish friend. She could get dumped tonight, yet she’s just happy for her friend, and her attitude makes Dicky want to smile too, for some strange reason. He doesn’t recall since when he gets wrapped around the simplicity of seeing other people happy, or perhaps it’s just seeing _her_ happy.

Next, Dicky glances at this former partner and can’t help but allow the remorse to invade his feelings. If Chloe gets sent home tonight, he’ll never be able to forgive himself for causing that.

Then, his deep emerald-brown eyes glimpse at the men beside him, and spots a relaxed spiky-haired blue-eyed man with one of his hands resting on his lap, with the other tanned younger lad briefly running his finger through his curled brown locks. Dicky tries to ease his stress with a deep inhale of air as he looks back at Chloe. It’s inevitable if either Gary or Rocco would ever choose her since they’ve never expressed themselves attracted to the London beauty. 

Walking over to where the lads are, Lottie laughs and gets close to Bobby as he wraps his arms around her frame into a friendly hug. Everyone cheers, and Minni wants to say something encouraging and nice to her friend, but nervousness is lurking in her head already, the air getting caught in her throat. At this point, she’s not even sure if Gary is going to choose her, but he hasn’t shown interest in any other girl either. It would be a shock to her if he decides on someone else, even though she also reckons it’s fair, considering that this morning they agreed to keep their options open.

The young brunette blinks a couple of times in an attempt to clear those worrying thoughts away. She notices that Hannah is feeling as anxious as her when she leans over to her to whisper.

“Well, it’s between me, you, Chloe and Marisol now. And you’re all gorgeous, so…” she restlessly sighs at the possibility of being dumped tonight.

The red-haired girl was coupled up with Bobby, but he simply isn’t her type. Ever since she’s entered the Villa, the young girl has carried an interest for the charming crane operator, but he never seemed to demonstrate any interest towards her; he didn’t even give her a chance, focusing most of his attention on his partner. The idea of making him breakfast seemed sensational to Hannah until the blond was easy to ignore the effort. The ginger girl lightly bites her bottom lip as she skims through her journey here— it’s not gone well.

“Things aren’t looking too good for me, are they?” Her voice goes quiet and she feels her stomach twist in knots. 

“Mate, what happened to que sera, sera?” Minni whispers back, reaching out to hold her hand, following the way she reassured her earlier on. They’re not the closest friends, but there was no way the physics student would have let her drown in her own insecurity back in the dressing room; she even helped her to patiently fold her clothes when they fell out of her closet and arrange them back in her drawer as she talked to her through her anxiousness, also risking not being ready in time for the Recoupling. Locking sights with the other girl, she shakes their joined hands side to side in an encouraging manner and then gently lets go, not knowing where she got the strength to be so reassuring in this situation from, as she’s most likely starting to share the same amount of nervousness as Hannah by now. “It’s not over yet.”

Chloe stands gracefully on Hannah's other side and leans closer to the distressed girl, looking down at how her shaky fingers play around with her endless red braided locks. The talented cellist allows her soft vocals to vibrate in her throat as she skilfully hums out the tune of the vintage song and widens her closed smile when she takes notice at Hannah’s face easing at the sound of the song.

“Any of these boys will know how lucky they’ll be to have you in a couple, babes,” the older brunette manages to sneak in those confident words to see the red-haired girl gratefully nod. 

“Remember what I told you, hun,” Marisol's expression brightens at the contagious positivity coming from Chloe and Minerva and decides to engage into the encouragement. “Concentrate on your belly button. Breathe.”

Before either Hannah, Chloe or Minni can reply, another phone beeps and firm silence drapes over the group of Islanders.

With a slight scowl forming on his face, Dicky’s glare darts immediately to Rocco’s direction when he notices it’s the food truck owner’s time to select his partner. _Bloody hell_ , it’s the only thing he thinks for a moment, when he realizes that there’s just one of the four girls that are left who has most definitely caught the curly-haired Islander’s eye.

“My turn,” Rocco announces as his look moves within the row of girls. He takes a deep breath before declaring who will be his new partner, “Honestly, I didn’t know that I was still looking for a girl like this when I came in. But the magnetism I feel towards her is unignorable. In a world of embers, she’s a roaring bonfire. My soul is drawn to her flames like a wanderer in the night.”

Processing his speech, Minni purses her lips in an attempt to contain a chuckle. She can’t take his poetic way of speaking seriously, more so when she is not sure to who he is referring to.

Sitting behind Rocco and already on edge, Dicky rolls his eyes and exchanges a look of vexation with Gary, only to see his friend respond with a brief shrug. The raven-haired Chathamite crosses his arms over his chest and continues to listen to the poesy. In any other case, he would be his usual asshole self and make a mocking joke out of it, but he already has a hunch on who Rocco is going to pick, his jaw tensing merely at the idea.

“Or a moth! Oh, and she’s really hot,” Rocco curls his lips into a smirk. “So, although I know it might come out of the blue, I really want to see where things go with me and this girl. So the girl I’d like to couple up with is…” He lingers a pause only creating anticipation to hear who’s the girl he’ll be picking. Finally, his look links with large cobalt-blue pools and gently smiles at the dark-haired student, “Minerva.”

In that very moment, Gary’s blue eyes widen just to get fixed on his former partner for a couple of seconds. Even though he already knew there was a big possibility of another lad picking her first tonight, having it actually happen is still a strong punch in the gut for him.

Soon, the startled blond man reminds himself to blink out his speechless demeanour and angles his neck over at Jason. Knowing from their earlier chat, he knew Dicky was pondering the idea of choosing Minni as his new partner. All Gary can see is his friend clutching his fingers into a fist with his arms still folded.

The Chatham mechanic sinks his face into a subtly disappointing grimace, glazing over his handsome features, but is quick to swallow his bothered feelings about it all. Even with a slight moment of hope swirling in his chest to have seen the Cambridge student still standing there waiting to be picked, it only took one bloke to crumble the evening. _It was never going to work anyway_ , he stubbornly convinces himself, his glare not even bothering looking anywhere but at the flames of the fire pit in front of him.

Next to him, Gary can guess how bummed out his friend must feel for losing out the opportunity to choose Minni, especially when he recalls how hopeful he looked earlier today. He knows that his mate would never admit many of his feelings, but the crane operator could see right through Dicky’s gleamed face when given the permission to pick the sweet young woman, something so unlike his gloomy persona.

As soon as she hears her name being pronounced, a smile appears in Minni’s pale pink lips. Rocco’s decision doesn’t take her entirely for a surprise. He has been showing a lot of interest in her since they arrived at the Villa, showering her with attention whenever he can and even offering to make her a smoothie this morning, but she never thought he’d like her more than any of the other girls. Either way, she’s happy and willing to try things with him, although he isn’t her first choice. And now she’s definitely safe from getting dumped, which is surely a tension reliever for her.

Before separating herself from the group of girls, Minni reaches out for Chloe’s cool hand and lightly squeezes her small fingers as a sign of wishing her luck. Deep sapphire eyes meet with the warmth of honey-coloured ones and both brown-haired girls exchange smiles. 

Seeing her younger friend turn her back and walk a short distance to arrive in front of Rocco’s welcoming smile only makes Chloe wonder if this is truly what Minerva wanted. As much as she wants to feel happy for the student, the older girl can’t help but take a quick glance over at Gary and her frown deepens at the sight of a baffled spiky-haired muscular man. Just last night, she recalls how happy and grateful he felt for having Minni pick him and now he’s left with the two girls who were fighting for his attention this morning. She can only hope that Gary finds the firmness to overcome Rocco practically stealing Minni away from him, evidently without even warning him first.

“Oh my days,” Minni murmurs as she crosses over to Rocco.

Once they’re close enough, the curly-haired man places his hands on her upper arms, gently. “That means you’re happy, right?” he asks, his eyes slightly wider.

“I think so,” she grins light-hearted.

“Phew!” Rocco gasps, exaggeratedly relieved.

Giggling at his response, the young girl throws her arms around him to thank him for saving her from the dumping. He smirks back and wraps her up in his toned arms, squeezing her close in a hug. The other Islanders erupt in applause and they take a seat together around the fire pit.

Kindly, Minni takes a moment to meet her former partner’s look and offers a sweet smile, still not being sure if he was even intending to pick her or not. She surely feels strange for not being in a couple with him anymore, but she also reminds herself that both agreed to get to know other people too. Warmed by her simple yet deeply sincere gesture, Gary returns the smile and then throws her a quick cheeky wink, just to let her know that everything's alright between the both of them.

The silence resumes, more tense than before and with now just Hannah, Chloe and Marisol standing before the two remaining boys.

Just then, Gary shifts his gaze over to the three girls lined up before the rest of the group and instantly lands his stare at Chloe. She’s standing with endless poise in pointed cream-coloured heels matching her elegant long sleeved lace pencil dress that was surely crafted with expensive beige material. She always manages to leave the bulky blond man almost breathless at the perpetual beauty she carries. There’s an enticing energy fizzing at the centre of his chest to see the stunning cellist still there, patiently waiting to be picked by someone.

Even though he feels gutted to know Minerva will longer be with him, looking over at Chloe restores hope that he’ll still be able to declare a girl of his liking as a potential partner. It might come as a surprise for everyone since he hasn’t exposed his interest towards the older brunette, but something tells Gary that she’ll be worth it. 

The next phone chimes in Dicky’s hand to indicate his turn now. He doesn’t move from his seat for a few seconds as he’s trying to process what just happened, Rocco’s decision having completely changed his last-minute plans for this Recoupling, but ultimately bends his knees to get off the seat.

The masculine mechanic stands tall and straightens his broad shoulders; something he’s unintentionally picked up on Chloe’s natural posture. With a relaxed look on his face, a content and slow-paced breath releases though his nostrils. Even though he didn’t have his opportunity to pick Minerva, he still needs to wisely decide who he’ll be sharing a bed with.

His expressive emerald-hazel orbs scan each girl that’s looking back at him. Marisol curls her vibrant red lips into a smirk, seemingly convinced that her graft on him earlier might’ve contemplated his decision-making. Beside her, Hannah carries a distressed expression and avoids meeting looks with the stern-looking man, his plain black shirt and black ripped-off jeans being not of the red-haired book enthusiast’s taste and even too intimidating. And finally, there’s Chloe; her bright amber eyes shine with humility under the illuminated lights and gifts him a faint sincere smile. 

One of Jason’s hands grip onto his other wrist and locks his arms over his front as he slightly lifts his dark stubbled chin before initiating his speech, “Ever since coming to the Villa, this girl has brought a lot of energy, even if it’s a bloody nuisance in the morning. I guess she _sometimes_ makes me laugh with her mediocre jokes.” A teasing smirk corners his mouth when he notices Chloe already rolling her eyes at how heart-warming his speech is getting, “But so far, I reckon we’ve had a smashing time together and she has no choice but to tolerate me.” 

Chloe keeps her concentrated stare at the ignited fire pit tracing the wind’s direction with its flames. She is already anticipating Dicky’s decision, but it seems like he’s taking his time to declare the girl. She wants to believe that he’s referring to her but there’s doubt at the back of her head. Of course they shared a kiss but she recalls Marisol approaching him after the Recoupling text. It seems like the law student’s flirtatious tactics might’ve been working considering how evident Dicky’s body language was from afar.

Scepticism gradually overflows Chloe’s mind to recall how giggly Marisol was with whatever Jason was telling her. Perhaps her time has come to an end here knowing well that the only boy that is left to pick is Gary and he’d surely pick Hannah since the red-haired girl has put efforts into grafting him. At this point, she’s come to terms of leaving and can never hold any resentment towards the Chatham native when they’ve been pretty clear with their agreement. Her thoughts are interrupted to listen to Dicky’s voice revealing who will be his next partner. 

“So, the girl I’d like to couple up with is... Chloe.” The tall dark-haired mechanic widens a toothy grin after calling out Chloe’s name and spots her returning a pleased smile from a distance. 

A round of applause comes from the Islanders as the Londoner’s designer heels lowly thump against the wooden deck. Once she arrives at Dicky's side, the petite musician teasingly pinches his long limbs before taking their place on the bench. As soon as they sit beside each other, Jason adjusts his arm behind Chloe and leans towards her, quietly whispering near her face.

“I reckon I don’t deserve the pinch, mate,” he breathes out a short laugh.

The stunning brunette angles her head towards her amused partner and arches a dark eyebrow, “Hm, I think you do deserve it after giving me that wonderful speech.” The witty sarcasm lingers in her tone of voice, only making Dicky shake his head to know she’s picking up on his humour. 

“You’re welcome, darling.” Unique shades of hazel eyes meet, and Dicky lightly pats his chest, signalling where his heart is at, “It all came from here.” 

Without the intention of interrupting the couple’s banter, Minni quietly squeals in delight and nudges her friend’s arm with a huge smile on her face. “That was so cute. I’m so happy for you guys,” she whispers. “You’re such a good match.”

When noticing the sincerity of the young woman’s declaration, Dicky’s breath gets caught in his throat and a strange uneasy sensation washes down on him. Just in that moment he convinces himself that there’s no way Minni could ever fancy him, the illusion on trying to get to know her as more than a friend painfully vanishing in thin air— in her eyes, he’s her best friend’s perfect match and, knowing her, she would never go there and wouldn’t think of him as more than a mate. This time is not his stubbornness drilling the thought in his mind, it’s being caused by something real and almost tangible, by those honest words of encouragement that came out of her plumped lips. The man quickly avoids eye contact with her big blue eyes, feeling embarrassed by ever even thinking of picking her tonight when the feeling is certainly not mutual.

Gary remains with a reserved silence to witness his best mate pick Chloe. He tries his best to mask his devastated expression with a smile at the dark-haired couple, but a stupid tug keeps stringing in his stomach to see the young musician back with Jason. Ever since that chat he had with the theatrical performer, his interest intensified but never knew if she has ever seen him as more than just Dicky’s friend. His features drain in colour to see how she intimately smiles back at his mate and slumps his shoulders at how foolish he’s felt. Just observing the gratitude glowing across her pretty features for staying with his friend only makes Gary gulp the bittersweet scenery.

He’s happy to see Dicky feeling comfortable with a bird here, considering how closed-off the grumpy dark-haired man can be. Going through the chat with his friend earlier, he has to remind himself that Dicky declared an interest for both girls, Minerva and Chloe, and it shouldn’t be surprising to see him select Chloe after all. The bulked-up blond narrows his lips into a thin line, sensing a guilt coating his pupils. He doesn’t want to fancy Chloe when he’s sure there’s already something between the two older Islanders. Perhaps it’s best this way and he’ll get to know the rest of the girls. 

It doesn’t take much time before Gary’s phone finally beeps and he stands up. The crane operator’s stomach is forming knots, looking lost for a moment as they go back and forth between Hannah and Marisol.

“Guess I’m last,” he sighs.

By the tone of his deep voice, Dicky notices that he’s not nearly chuffed by the idea of having to choose who is going home. Being his long-time friend, Jason knows that Gary is a softie on the inside, so having to make this decision is bound to affect him emotionally. He knows that the crane operator will feel bummed out afterwards independently of his choice; even if he acts chill and collected about it. While he follows his mate with his sight, the mechanic wishes that it would’ve been him the one to make that decision instead, not because he doesn’t care about the two girls’ feelings, but because the older Chathamite surely has thicker skin than Gary. 

With his facial expression settling, Gary looks between the two girls. Marisol flicks her hair, smiling confidently at him. On the other hand, Hannah looks down at the ground and takes a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut.

“I didn’t reckon going at the end would be this hard, to be honest. I mean, one of you girls is going home based on my decision,” the blond starts his speech. “But that’s the way it has to be, right? Still, it is what it is and I’m open to giving this girl a chance and keeping my options open,” he continues. Even when he wasn’t planning on coupling up with either of the two girls, he is still determined to pronounce a decent speech. “I’d like to couple up with this girl because she gets what this is all about. In a way, she reminds me of my nan—”

At his declaration, a few Islanders exchange uncomfortable and curious glances. Dicky has to avoid facepalming, his hands clasped over his lap and his face practically scolding his mate. 

Trying to shake off the awkwardness, Gary resumes his speech. “I’m interested in what she has to say. Plus, she’s flames. So I’m gonna make this quick,” he cautiously follows. “The girl I want to couple up with… is Marisol.”

After hearing her name, the dark blonde girl’s red lips stretch out into a big and self-assured smile as she thanks Gary. Next to her, Hannah’s shoulders slump, her face falling with disappointment.

Dicky never believed that Recouplings would be this intense. Seeing them on the telly appeared easy enough but now that he sees how stressing a decision like Gary’s can be, he can understand what the pressure was all about. His stare shifts to Gary’s direction and it looks like he’s exchanging a few words with the Spanish tanned girl. The more Dicky thinks about the girls’ dumping, the more confident he feels about picking Chloe; he knows he’s taken the right decision. Imagining the friendly golden-eyed beauty being eliminated instead of Hannah builds a bit of uneasiness to his chest and subconsciously comes closer to his partner’s side. 

From a distance, Chloe can see Hannah’s face twists in a crestfallen nature. It seems like the young literature-fanatic can’t fathom the thought of leaving the Villa and her freckled body stiffens, not knowing how to react to Gary dumping her. Not even humming the song from before can lift Hannah’s spirits but unfortunately, this is all part of the game. She can’t say she ever felt close to the red-haired girl, but Chloe does appreciate her sweet and gentle personality as it contrasts well with other girls here with outgoing characters, like Hope’s. Chloe’s frown expands across her face, feeling how contagious Hannah’s disappointment is. 

After exchanging looks with the golden-eyed cellist, Minni has the impulse of walking towards Hannah right away and comforting her, her thoughts instantly going to the chat they had earlier in the dressing room, when the red-haired girl needed to vent about her worries of nobody picking her. The only reason Minni doesn’t move is because she doesn’t want to make a scene and bring attention towards herself, less make Gary feel like he made the wrong choice. Because of this, she stays glued to her seat, her blue sight trying to be as reassuring as possible towards the other freckled girl.

Around the fire pit, the Islanders clap and Marisol walks over to Gary and plants a peck on his cheek. Everyone claps politely and only Lottie refrains totally from joining in, glaring icily at the new couple. The applause dies after a couple of seconds, making all of them stare at the only girl that wasn’t picked tonight, standing on her own in front of the group.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe I’m going home!” Hannah whines, looking down. In that moment, her phone chimes with the sound of a text. Shakily, the red-haired girl takes the device out of her pocket and reads with a wobbly voice a text orders her to pack her bags and leave the Villa immediately.

With sad looks on their faces, the Islanders approach the young girl to say their goodbyes. The girls briefly crowd around Hannah, only Lottie being apprehensive on not letting go so the ginger can be approached by the rest of the group. Once the blonde takes a step back, Minni is quick to give Hannah a tight hug, showering her with reassuring and sincere kind-hearted words. Even when her freckled acquaintance appreciates her efforts of making her feel better and knows that she’s being genuine, she can’t bring herself to respond, but manages to smile at her warm-heartedness.

Hannah’s saddened expression briefly glimpses at Chloe’s comforting face before they share a small supportive hug. The talented cellist doesn’t really exchange many words with the dumped Islander but makes sure to interpret the sympathy with the body language. They detach from their hug and Chloe offers her a small smile.

After his partner moves away from Hannah, Dicky gets close to give the ginger a polite and distant hug, being stern and cold as his usual self. He surely feels bad for her but is not experiencing anything beyond that.

While he looks at the group saying their goodbyes, Gary hangs back, not knowing how to approach the girl who just got dumped from the island. He feels terrible for being the reason why she has to go home so soon, but he also knows that he had to pick someone, and Marisol was by far a better fit for him.

The crane operator waits a few seconds before approaching the ginger, who receives him with a hesitant attitude. The only thing he can think of to make her feel a little better is giving her a hug, his big frame engulfing her completely. She doesn’t move and doesn’t return the gesture, something that Gary doesn’t think too much of.

“No hard feelings, yeah?” the blond man tells her, trying to meet her eyes.

Still quite resentful, Hannah doesn’t reply and delicately extracts herself. Gary takes it as a sign to let go and keeps his distance. Taking a few steps backwards, his broad back instantly meets with Dicky’s large hand, which gives him a gentle pats of reassurance.

Knowing his mate, Jason is sure that, from now on, Gary will try to keep his cool and downplay his negative emotions, even if he is feeling like an utter mess because of the situation. And, also, he knows it’s better for him to leave his friend be until the blond feels ready to get talking about it. In any case and whatever that happens next, Dicky is determined to stand by his best mate’s side and be a good support if he ever needs it.

**In the bathroom – Night-time.**

Weary blue eyes paled after Lottie’s exit from the bathroom. Despite the spacious structure of the communal bathroom, Gary feels a tad claustrophobic with an immense weight shoving down his aggravated broad shoulders.

He never thought this night could get any worse: not having the opportunity to pick between Minni or Chloe, feeling like a complete arse for dumping the first girl from the Villa, and now in this bloody situation he’s involved himself with Lottie. He can’t remember at what point her cold lips met with his, but Gary was quick enough to pull away respectfully. He’s just been coupled up with Marisol and not even a night has passed for a scandal to occur. 

His forearms settle on the sink’s counter and droops his strained neck, blankly looking down at his grey denim jacket. He doesn’t want any anxiety to overwhelm his mind, especially when it’s his first night with his newly coupled partner, Marisol. The blond runs his pale fingers across his blond spiky locks and exhales an exasperated breath with all of his worries. An abrupt pair of heels lowly thud against the floor after the door swings wide open, echoing the room’s spacious area. 

Gary flickers his lashes in disturbance of his lonesome time and doesn’t want to deal with Lottie again. They came to a mutual agreement to not speak of what’s happened tonight as he doesn’t want any drama evolving him and she seemingly agreed. He pushes himself off the counter and turns to his side, ready to excuse himself from being in the same presence of the green-eyed Australian but his body freezes to instead spot beautifully startled golden-hazel eyes looking at him with a pout hovering over her perfectly shaped lips. 

“Oh! Gary, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in here,” she politely speaks and notices the crane operator scratching his bearded jawline. She can’t tell if Gary is going through something but figures it’s best to not mention anything and act casual. 

His lips force a wide grin at the elegantly-dressed cellist and tries to shrug off his troubling thoughts still whirling in his head, “Nah, don’t worry about it, mate. I was about to head out either way.”

The petite brunette croons out a tired sigh after hearing Gary dismissing himself from the room and walks passed the tattooed man. She pulls over a bag full of her personal items and he turns his face sideways, analysing how delicately she’s taking out the makeup wipes. Chloe begins wiping off the minimal makeup that’s applied to her skin and shifts her sight to the mirror, seeing Gary’s wide back facing it but she can still feel his stare on her.

“Well, make sure you tell Dicky that he’s no fun,” an aggravated frown matches her lowered eyebrows as she’s gliding the disposable towel over her chin. 

Gary can’t help but rumble out a chuckle while listening to Chloe’s frustration towards his grumpy friend. He crosses his arms over his chest and is now intrigued to listen.

“What’s happened?” He attentively asks. 

Chloe slumps her shoulder and heavily exhales her predicament, “I wanted to have a facial mask buddy so I, of course, went to check on Minni but I didn’t want to interrupt her reading. Then, I wanted to ask Priya but she’s already cosy with Ibrahim. Jason enters the bedroom and I have the _bright_ idea of asking him if he wants to do facial masks with me and he’s like,” the dark-haired girl shrinks her facial expression to mimic Dicky’s typical scowl and lowers her feminine voice to terribly mock her partner’s, “Hah, yeah right. You’ll never see me wearing that fancy vomit on my face.”

Gary amusingly spreads a bigger smile on his face to hear the legitimate response Dicky has given Chloe. That bloke is never going to change and while the blond man finds it funny, he’s always told his friend to be gentler with his expressive vocabulary when it comes to women. He can tell that Chloe isn’t totally upset at the mechanic since she breathes out a short giggle after staging Dicky’s word choice, but he knows there’s girls that could get genuinely upset for his unfiltered opinions. 

The London girl blinks and pauses at the failed attempts of getting herself a facial mask buddy but knows it’s not the end of the world if she does it alone tonight. She scrunches her nose and shakes off the nonsense, “But yeah, that’s all. I’m just being silly.” 

He notices a particular glow sparkling within a pair of pupils that makes those warm amber irises stand out. A thrilled beam hugs her high cheekbones, almost like she’s just thought of something, “Fancy a quick facial mask? Oh, I reckon you’d be the perfect spa buddy.”

The handsome crane operator widens his light eyes and parts his lips without knowing how to respond to the abrupt offer. He wouldn’t be caught doing any of those facial things, especially with Dicky around to make fun of him about it. Gary looks slightly down; even in heels, Chloe is still a bit shorter than him. Hope still clings in her face, only to find her utterly adorable at how lovingly her lashes bat at each blink. He genuinely feels quite exhausted after all that’s happened today but looking into those stunning orbs brings a sense of warmth expanding all over his strong chest. 

His fingertips graze over his neck, unsure if it’s even a good idea. As much as seeing a disappointed cellist will make him feel worse than he already is, Gary’s made up his mind decides to decline her tempting invitation. Little to his own surprise, his tongue betrays his brain within seconds.

“Erm, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” he flashes her a sheepish grin and immediately sees Chloe gasp in her excitement to his response. 

“Perfect. I’ll get changed and meet you at the daybeds,” she keeps a big smile on her face, eagerness bounces out of the musician’s voice but then notices confusion in the blond’s face. 

“The daybeds?” The blue-eyed man questions. 

Before exiting the bathroom, Chloe tilts her head and gives Gary a knowing look, “We _could_ do it here if you want Dicky to see you covered in girlie vomit.” A smirk curls the edges of her lips to see the younger blond briefly wincing out the thought of his mate catching him red-handed. 

Weirdly enough, the dark-haired beauty seems to have read his thoughts about the mechanic’s nonstop banter and is thankful of her ideas. 

A short nod exemplifies the Chathamite’s agreement to her original plan, “Daybeds it is, then.” 

**In the daybeds – Night-time.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxzsc_hpYF8)

Gary saunters out of the threshold to feel the coolness of the gentle wind coating his skin. He already spots a petite brunette patiently sitting at one of the daybeds and makes his way over to Chloe’s direction. 

Her head turns to distinguish the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the bed and sweetly smiles to see the crane operator not ditching her last minute.

“Step into my office, hun,” Chloe jokingly greets the muscular blond. 

His heavier weight slumps next to the brown-haired Islander, gently shifting the firmness of the mattress and he lands his deep-set eyes over to Dicky’s partner. He’s easy to recognise her more casual sleepwear contrasting the typical luxurious evening wardrobe and swimwear he’s seen previously. The classical cellist dresses in a navy-blue t-shirt with a large font reading ‘Juilliard’ and fitted leggings beautifully outlining her femininely toned legs. Her gentle waves of chocolate-brown locks are arranged in a high ponytail and cascades down her curved back. As much as he’s admired her exquisite elegance, seeing her so informal but still managing to live her natural beauty only gravitates the bearded blond’s attention. 

Eventually, Gary shakes his thoughts away at the sound of her voice and sees her going through an enormous bag full of various bottles of her skincare products, “Okay, so…” she continues to fumble through each label of the different clay masks and wonders which one will best be suited for Gary, “What type of skin do you have?” 

Cool blue eyes confusingly blink at the question and raises his thick eyebrows at the intrigued Londoner, “Uh…” he shortly laughs to discover his lack of knowledge about skin, “Mate, I dunno.” 

“Well then, shall we find out? I’d hate to give you the wrong clay,” a small pout shrinks her lips and scoots a little closer to the bulky man, already inhaling an alluring minty fragrance originating from the crane operator. Her hands hover mid-air, wanting to reach for his face to diagnose his skin type but not desiring to make him feel uncomfortable, “May I?” The dark-haired girl asks. 

After he consents Chloe with a simple nod, her small fingers soon make contact with his cool skin and Gary tries his best to gulp in his sharp gasp. His stare concentrates solely on Chloe’s face as the warmth of her fingertips delicately glides across his pale skin. He can’t help but sense this strange knot in his throat as she continues to explore his handsome features. He knows that she’s just trying to figure out what his skin type is but his mind clouds tenderly to her touches. A simple manicured hand swipes his forehead and finishes her journey with an index finger gradually running down the bridge of his nose. 

Chloe retreats her hands from his face and pulls back a little, “You have combination skin, just like me,” she offers him a friendly smile and turns her attention back to the large bag of bottles and jars to eventually take the one she thinks will work well for both of them. 

She swiftly unscrews the container’s lid and scoops a bit of the treatment on her fingers. Chloe expertly begins to apply it on her own skin while holding a small mirror but notices Gary lightly scratching his golden beard and feels unsure about putting that on his face.

“Go on, mate. I promise you, it doesn’t bite. I’ll keep checking up on you if you’re doing it wrong,” a light-hearted giggle exhales out of her mouth as she glimpses at Chatham native dubiously analysing the weird substance but eventually mimicking how she was doing it. 

“Dicky might not be wrong about calling it vomit. The colour is a bit off, innit?” He looks over at the young musician and playfully rolls her eyes at such a boy thing to say. 

Keeping his stare at the busied girl, he lightly bites his bottom lip to recall tonight’s Recoupling and mentally recites Dicky’s speech for Chloe. They really seem to hit it off and even though he wants to feel happy for his mate, part of him feels like he’s missed the opportunity to really get to know the glamorous hazel-eyed girl and now is stuck with Marisol. The Spanish Islander is a fittie, without a doubt, but she certainly wasn’t what he had in mind for tonight.

“Speaking of Dicky, I reckon you’re proper buzzed to be picked by him again? Like, you’re happy about it, right?” His voice softens at the question.

She pauses midway from stroking her skin and shifts her torso to Gary’s direction. Chloe lingers a small pause to really think about the question and remembers how nervous she felt about the whole situation. The entire time she was standing in front of the fire pit, she was preparing herself on the idea of getting dumped. Considering how Jason brought the idea of getting to know the rest of the girls, she was positive that he was going to pick someone else. She couldn’t see any other boy picking her when she’s only spent time with her current partner. Knowing that the cranky mechanic decided to stick with her only makes Chloe conclude that he _does_ like her. As opposed with the stunning theatrical performer, she still isn’t sure how she feels about Dicky. Physically, he’s her type on paper, his refreshing personality combines well with hers, and they’ve been getting along well but it’s too early for her to determine if there’s anything else stirring between the two. 

The amber-eyed girl offers Gary a warm smile and determinedly nods, “I think so, yeah. Thanks to him, I wasn’t dumped. I suppose I’m doing something right if he picked me again,” a compressed laugh eases out of her lungs but cuts the humour short when she promptly remembers Minerva being stolen from Gary. 

Just at the remembrance of his shocked blue orbs never losing sight of the Cambridge student when Rocco had announced her as his partner brought sympathy to Chloe’s heart. Just earlier, she had spotted a discouraged tattooed man in the bathroom. Surely, he felt saddened to know he wasn’t with the astrophysics student and was probably looking for some headspace after the Recoupling. 

Her small hand slides over to his inked forearm and faintly squeezes as a sign of comfort, “I think you were very brave tonight, Gary. It must be really hard to dump someone from the Villa when you need to get used to the idea of not keeping Minni as your partner.” 

Gary can’t seem to respond to her kind and supportive words as it embraces his ears. Her vibrant eyes that strongly resemble the hue of daisies brings a sense of easiness to his wide frame but that same bloody warm feeling keeps swirling in his chest and causes his breath to clench in his throat. Witnessing such a magnificent woman right in front of him only magnifies his curiosity of having her as a partner. Gary wants to shake away his growing interest in Chloe, especially when it’s Jason’s bird. Strong waves of guilt wash over the brawny blue-eyed man to know he fancies his mate’s girl. He can’t bring himself to confess that to Dicky, especially when his friend was open enough to admit his liking for the brunette beauties. The muscular Chathamite can’t allow himself to continue his infatuation for the posh-looking musician. He wants to make sure Dicky gets a proper chance with someone as brilliant as Chloe; he reckons the mechanic deserves her. 

He allows his larger hand to completely envelop Chloe’s and returns a grateful smile, “Thank you, love. I know Minni isn’t with me now, but I am interested to see where things go with Marisol. Like I said, she’s flames,” a cheeky grin hugs his stubbled cheeks. He reflects a bit on his current situation with the blue-eyed girl, comfortable enough to share his thoughts with the older brunette, “Besides, me and Minni chatted about it being early days and all so I reckon her trying things out with Rocco will be good for her.” 

“As long as you and Minni are happy, that’s all that matters.” Her reassuring words ring so nicely to Gary. Just for a mere moment, he’s able to embrace the worry-free aura Chloe embodies but this entire time, that kiss he shared with Lottie earlier haunts his conscious. His darkened pupils try to focus on the pair of big hazel irises that can make any bloke go weak. 

He notices that her gaze moves around his face and her amused grin stretches the longer she stares at him. Gary knits his dark eyebrows together and looks back at her with a perplexed expression.

“What?” He curiously asks. 

With an immense effort, the Londoner attempts to restrain her grin from transforming into a laughter, but her harmonised giggle dominates her voice, “Sorry, hun. It’s just that you, um…” her pointed finger signals around the uneven parts of his face that doesn’t have the clay mask. 

She notices that he’s completely oblivious as his dark blond lashes flicker in confusion of what she’s pointing out. Chloe scoots a bit closer, her knee grazing Gary’s grey sweatpants as she shifts her body closer to his. She decides to try and fill in the patched-up mask and applies a bit more to his skin, considering how much it’s bothering her. 

The crane operator closes his eyes to feel how wondrous the cellist’s fingers massage his face. Her touch is gentle as before and he takes advantage to devour each passing second until an involuntary hum speaks for his satisfaction.

“Mmm…” his masculine vocals vibrate in his chest. 

Chloe lightly chuckles to his response and until now, she realises how relaxed he looks to receive a personal spa treatment from her.

“It feels good?” She asks with an entertained beam. 

“Mhmm.” Gary mumbles out and peeks an eye to be graced by the gorgeous dark-haired Islander’s faint smile. He can’t help but mirror a similar facial expression and tentatively intake every unblemished detail carved on her perfect facial structure, even with all that stuff on her face. 

Her velvet-like voice caresses his ears as she’s still working on his temples and manages to swipe some of the thick cream. A small grin curves her mouth, “I must say, you have a beautiful skin tone.” 

It’s a good thing he’s covered in the earthy scented mask because Gary can feel his face slightly redden to the sudden compliment. He then tilts his head to the odd comment. Normally, women tend to throw compliments for his impressive biceps or his sturdy chest, but never about his skin colour.

“Hah, I’m sure that’s the first time anyone’s ever told me that,” his look is now fixated on her focused sunny eyes, interested to hear what else she has to say. 

Her fingers wipe more of the grainy clay on the vacant spots of his face and grows a smile to hear his response, “Many don’t seem to appreciate fair skin tone, nowadays. In fact, in the Renaissance time, fair skin was considered the most beautiful and classy,” her eyebrows subtly levitate to her accurate comment.

Part of him really wants to shower her with his cheeky flirtatious side but decides against it. He keeps reminding himself that this is Dicky’s bird he’s talking to and when it comes to his mate, he doesn’t want to cross that barrier. Besides, ever since he’s spent time with her, she’s never hinted if she even fancies the blond blue-eyed Chathamite. She’s surely just being nice since he’s Jason’s good friend and apparently that’s how it will stay. Besides, now that he’s with Marisol, it’s the best way to get to know the law student and see where things go. For now, Gary knows that he finds her quite attractive and feels intrigued by her outgoing personality. 

He keeps quiet and takes the silence as an opportunity to allow the elegant woman to do some final touches on his forehead. Her concentrated eye slightly squints as she’s trying to not ruin his golden hairline, “Ah, there we go! You’re all done.” She happily exclaims. 

The petite French-English girl leans away from Gary and shortly crawls herself over the cool bed sheets to sit right beside him. His widely toned arm radiates an inviting warmth to hers, almost making contact with his smooth skin. Crystal blue eyes accompany honey-coloured ones to gaze out at the serenity of the Villa. It’s a snug absence of sound but the duo relishes the peace they’ll almost never experience here. 

“Hey, Chloe?” Despite his vocals having an intense and deep tone, Gary manages to deliver his words with a gentle murmur to catch her attention. 

“Hmm?” Her head angles to view an anxious frown dangling at the corners of his mouth. Concern starts to build up within her to see a slightly distressed bloke. It almost resembles the same burden he displayed when she first entered the bathroom. 

“Can we like, keep this between us? Something tells me that I won’t hear the end of Dicky’s banter,” he cautiously asks. 

He lowers his chin to stare at his thighs and will hate to know if he’s made the dark-haired cellist upset just like he had bothered Lottie when he asked her to keep quiet about the kiss. He knows that the time he’s spent with Chloe is rather innocent but he’s already walking on eggshells with what’s happened with the Aussie makeup artist. Gary despises how this entire night has become a realm of secrets for him. 

A balletic laugh airs out through her flawlessly shaped teeth, finding his question quite charming; almost like he carries an innocent quality within those intense eyes, “Don’t worry, hun. It’ll be our little secret,” the older Islander playfully winks at Gary, making him respond with an appreciative grin.

**In the bedroom – Late at night.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PClJma9Q8U)

 _The problem is the assumption that spacetime is flat, on small scales is mainly theoretical, and arises when formulating a theory of quantum gravity, equivalently, a quantum theory of spacetime geometry_ , Minni reads. The lights of the room are still on, because not all of the Islanders have gotten into bed yet, with Gary, Lottie, and Chloe missing. While Rocco is moving his belongings from his previous bed to this one, the blue-eyed girl uses this free time to read one of the many physics books she brought to the Villa. She is comfortably tucked under the cool bedsheets, her water bottle on her nightstand. _It is straightforward to construct such a theory, the Effective Field Theory, in the standard framework, but it only works on long distance scales—_

Rocco climbs in on the other side of the bed, grinning at her. His body is warm compared to the sheets surrounding her. Minni returns the smile to him and her gaze goes back to her book to read the last sentence of the page. _The theory breaks down at small scales, like the Plank distance, so it must be replaced with something else_. The moment she leaves her book on her nightstand, the other Islanders are settling down for bed already, turning their attention to each other. Before she notices, the lights go off.

The duvet rustles as Rocco turns in her direction. His voice is a whisper. “I wanted to check something with you,” he says. “You’re cool with this, right? Sharing a bed with me so soon? I get that it’s all kind of intense. You’re really beautiful and I hope attraction is mutual, but… I’m definitely not pushing anything to happen between us before you’re ready.”

She’s surprised at his words, used to see him always flirting and talking poetically. He looks at her thoughtfully, waiting for her answer. At this short distance, the green colour of his eyes is mesmerizing. At first, she considered not doing anything more than cuddling with him tonight, especially because this day has been quite tense, but now that they are this close, she’s not sure if she will be able to resist kissing him if he tried to. She thought she just fancied him before, yet the short proximity has a magnetizing effect.

The physics student is not too sure if she should give in to her desires this quickly, a voice in the back of her head telling her that she should wait a bit. Although she’s not one of those girls who jumps ship fast and she still fancies Gary quite a bit, Rocco has shown great interest in her and has made great efforts to turn her head, and some of them have actually worked. Despite this, and for some strange reason, she doesn’t feel the same towards Rocco than she does with Gary. The truth is that she feels like she has known the crane operator since forever.

Trying to clear those thoughts away, she reminds herself that they’re not in a couple anymore, that they were merely together for three day and kissed only once. She reckons that Gary will surely be busy getting to know Marisol now and probably will be as committed to stay in his couple just like when he was coupled up with the blue-eyed student, besides the fact that both agreed on getting to know other people. And perhaps, because of all of this, Minni should prepare herself to move most of her eggs to Rocco’s basket. For now, she doesn’t despise the idea of being this close to the curly-haired young man, even if he was her second preference for today’s Recoupling. After all, this is part of the _fun_ she’s been looking for here; the thrill of being close or kissing someone is mainly an extra spice to the entire experience.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine with it,” she murmurs. “I’m fine with... things.”

Immediately taking the chance, Rocco shuffles closer to her, smiling. “You’re radiant, Minni,” he whispers.

“Wow, I never heard that one before,” she says, looking at him under her large and curved eyelashes. The tips of their noses are almost touching.

Rocco looks confused and pulls back a little. “What do you mean?”

Minni grins. “ _Radiant_ ,” she repeats, wiggling her fingers.

The young man rolls his eyes but keeps his cool at the teasing just because he wants to kiss her already. Deliberately, he brushes a strand of hair from her face, and then lets his hand linger a little longer, caressing her cheek. He stares deeply into her bright blue irises, and Minni can’t help but to keep all of her focus on his intense gaze. His emerald stare is fixed on hers, until they suddenly closer and closer. Their lips meet for a few seconds; he’s not an incredible kisser, but his intensity, the fervent feelings he transmits through his lips get Minni’s skin covered in goosebumps either way.

Then, Rocco cups her face in his hands, sinking her into a short kiss. There’s surely not a spark there, between her and Rocco, but her thoughts on _other people_ , on other couples and _other boys_ she’d rather be with fade, evaporate, and she couldn’t care less about who picked up who today, the rules of this game and deciding on who she really wants to be with— all of those worries and nervousness fade in this very same instant.

From now on, she forgets that she shouldn’t have kissed him so soon. Perhaps she’s being too naive, too trusting, maybe seeing the best in people and not questioning their intentions with her could bring bad things in the future. Possibly herself being too pure with her intentions and honest with her positive emotions doesn’t let her see that not everyone thinks the same way, even though she’s book smart. The truth is, Minni can pinpoint a flaw in a complex math equation without even batting an eye but could never spot when someone is lying to her, less playing with her feelings, and it’s practically a miracle that she hasn’t been taken advantage of yet despite having lots of previous relationships. So, in this very moment, all she can think about now is the warmth of Rocco’s lips against hers and now she doesn’t second guess if kissing him this soon was right or not.

When she pulls back, the short but intense kiss having only lasted a couple of seconds, and opens her eyes, the young man is looking at her. His features sparkle and takes her hand in his delicately.

“What’s on your mind?” she whispers, without being able to stop staring at the green, wild colour of his irises. She has always particularly liked the way green eyes look in dim light. 

“Fate. The universe. Whatever made it possible for me to be here with you right now,” he responds. “I feel like we’re on the threshold of something amazing.”

Despite him being quite charming, Minni still can’t take him seriously. The corners of her lips tug, forcing her to hold back a smile. “You really think so?”

“Definitely. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you,” he states, convinced.

The girl raises an eyebrow, incredulous. “What movie is that quote from?” she banters, a delicate smile in her face.

Rocco pouts. “It’s not from a movie,” he whines, a little mad by her humour. Minni wishes he could just follow along her jokes and keep up with her banter instead of getting irritated right away but stops herself before she can start comparing him with others— that’s not healthy, she reckons, less if she wants this to work.

“I believe you,” the girl giggles. Then, she snuggles into the sheets beside him. “Can I be the little spoon?” she asks, softly.

Her partner chuckles at how cute she is and immediately cocoons his arms around her small frame. Soon, his chest is moving with the rhythm of his breathing against her delicate figure and Minni feels his breath against the back of her neck, stirring her hair as she calmly dozes off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who gets cheated on by Rocco a second time lmaoo that's right, it's our beloved space girl haha. and will our Chatham boys finally decide which one of the girls they fancy the most? :o  
> again, thank you guys for the support this fic has been getting✿✼:*ﾟ it has been such an amazing project to write, especially alongside mrsgaryrennell♥ she's honestly the best co-writer and internet pal anyone could ask for :3  
> also, if you want to get to know our MC's a bit more, make sure to check out our respective individual fics: Left Me In Pieces and The Villa's Star-Crossed Lovers✧･ﾟ: *  
> finally, feel free to comment your thoughts on the chapter down below✿ see you next chapter!  
> -cassiahalley.


	5. Day 4 - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisol shifts her sight to Chloe, with the elegant musician patiently waiting to know what she’s needed for. The tanned girl pushes her black frames at the root of her nose and sighs, “Actually, can I get your opinion?” Her eyes look over at the neatly positioned food before focusing back on the older brunette. “So with you and Jason…” Marisol catches Chloe already raising an eyebrow to the initiation of the topic but also keeping silence to hear where this is leading to, “Are you feeling, you know… ‘The Spark’?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why hello there, friends! 👀We're back with another update and we're extremely excited to share with you the first part of day 4 😭👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼We hope that you like it as much as it was fun to write it, especially when collaborating with someone like cassiahalley 🥺she's always great to work with 💛
> 
> So we've got our beloved Islanders stepping into their fourth day in the Villa and things are getting a bit more complicated for the Chatham boys along with Minni, and Chloe. 
> 
> We also want to thank everyone that has been super engaged and supportive of this story. It really means a lot to us to see people loving how the story is going, so thank you again 🥺
> 
> Enjoy the first part 👀😏(Make sure to click on the musical notes to dive into the scene's ambiance 😉)  
> -mrsgaryrennell 💛

**Day 4**

**Part 1.**

**In the bedroom – Morning.**

The chipper of the morning birds can be heard in the Villa’s communitarian bedroom, amongst various snores coming from the Islanders. The dim light begins to creep through the thick blinds that cover up the tall picture windows placed in front of the row of beds, as Chloe flutters her dark lashes continuously trying to restore her blurry vision from a surprisingly good night rest. Jason’s thunderous snores and groans resonate next to her; she’s weirdly grown used to it now and is learning to cope with his atrocious sleeping habits.

One of the good things about staying coupled up with the dark-haired Chathamite is that they got to keep the same bed and she didn't have to deal with moving her belongings around. The cellist notices the lights have yet to turn on at the dimness of the communal bedroom, and does her best to quietly sit up whilst not to awaken the grumpy brunet partner beside her. Her slim fingers gently rub against the softness of her tired eyelids and silently yawns her sleepiness away.

Big honey hued eyes spot her younger Cambridge friend resting her back against the headboard of her respective bed, while trying to bring all her senses to the new morning. Both brunette girls exchange a friendly smile from afar, with Minni feebly waving at the classical cellist.

“Good morning, Minni,” Chloe carefully whispers within the tranquil silence, but instantly hovers her hand over her mouth after listening to Dicky grunting at her greeting. It’s challenging to keep the laughter from airing out her lungs to her partner’s typical crankiness— not even in his sleep, can this man loosen up.

The Londoner looks over her shoulder to see the mechanic re-adjusting his drooled pillow and burying his puffy face in it with muffled obnoxious snores. After confirming Dicky’s constant slumber, Chloe turns her attention back to Minerva.

“How are you feeling, babes? You know, after everything that’s happened last night? We never got a chance to chat,” the older girl quietly asks, still making sure that she’s remaining discrete with her tone of voice.

“Me? Oh, I’m chill, babe,” Minni responds with a sincere smirk, easy-going as always. She takes a quick glimpse at Rocco, her new partner, who is sleeping calmly next to her. He has kicked the sheets to the bottom of the bed, revealing his chiselled body, his hands rest cupped over his lower abs and his face is the picture of serenity. The blue-eyed girl smiles at the sight of him, thinking that probably he’s dreaming about sitting at a campfire in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, or driving through a remote highway in Iceland. She lets out a quiet laugh at the idea, instantly covering her mouth when she reminds herself not to wake Dicky. “You might already know he wasn’t the one who I was expecting to end up with, but it’s not bad at all. I reckon he’s a good bloke,” she states, as silent as possible.

Chloe nods understandingly to Minni’s response. Her thoughts immediately trace to what Gary’s told her last night about getting to know the others; they really weren’t joking about trying other people out. As much as the cellist now feels comfortable with Dicky, she can’t help but remember that no other bloke ever picked her. She was one of the last girls and if it wasn’t for Dicky, Chloe’s absolutely positive that she would’ve gone home. If only she was as open-minded as Minerva, it’d make her journey here a lot easier. 

“How about you? Are you happy to have stayed in a couple with grumbly-grump over there?” Minni asks, curious. The younger girl slightly nods at Dicky, his mouth hanging half opened with patches of dry saliva stamped on corners of his lips. By this time, he’s already changed his sleeping position and almost takes the entire bed, only leaving the edge of the bed where Chloe’s sitting. 

The hazel-eyed musician lightly shakes her head to sense the gentle rumble of Jason’s groan overlapping the mattress and hears the rustling sound of him pulling the duvet near his chest. Until now, Chloe’s realised it’s because the lights have finally turned on and lightly giggles at his unapproachable nature for the morning. 

Then, she hears Minni muttering under her breath as she covers her sensitive blue eyes with her milky-white hand. Chloe turns her attention back to her, and guesses that she must’ve been muttering in Romanian, her second language, maybe even expelling some quiet curses at the way the light hurt her vision. Just then, she reminds herself that, after the interruption, her friend was asking her if she feels happy about staying with Dicky, and takes a moment to ponder on her genuine answer.

Chloe knows that she does enjoy the mechanic’s company and, oddly enough, they have quite a bit in common, but she hates that she needs to think of anyone here romantically when, realistically, this is just their fourth day in the Villa. At this point, Chloe only knows that Jason has become a great partner in this place, despite the ongoing crabby behaviour. She is curious to see what else does happen with him. After all, he did pick her again last night. It must mean something, right? 

“Well, I—” Before the elegant musician can even respond, both girls’ attention are captured by a short cough coming from the other end of the room.

The two brunette beauties spot a taller blonde trying not to pry into the chat but they notice her green sigh taking some glances to their direction. The vision of Lottie paying attention to their conversation makes Minni uncover her face and blink a couple of times to take a better look at her; there’s a reason why the Cantabrigian is always wearing sunglasses, her blue irises being too sensitive to bright lights.

“Hi, Lottie. How are you doing?” Minni is welcoming when initiating a chat with the Australian Islander by warmly smiling over at her. With that small gesture, it convinces Lottie to come closer and join the talk with the dark-haired girls.

“Not good, honestly. Hannah and I really bonded, and now she’s gone.” Her pale arms fold over her chest with an evident discouraged pout hovering over her lips.

“I know it’s not the same, but you still got us,” Minerva tries to use her light-hearted voice to make the situation seem better, but Lottie’s frown still remains long across the edges of her mouth, matching the dread in her expression. “We’re here if you need us,” the blue-eyed girl continues to add encouragement into the recent matter.

“Oi! Keep it down you three,” Gary loudly whispers, not careful enough to disturb Marisol’s sleep on his side. His new partner lightly squirms under the sheets and turns to her side to avoid the rest of the group. 

Considering how utterly wrong last night went with the Recoupling and with Lottie, Gary is thankful that his late evening concluded with the lovely company of Chloe, the quirky theatrical cellist. Even if it was a little while, he remains grateful for her unintentionally distracting his mind from his issues. Her type of company was exactly what he needed in that moment and, bloody hell, it was well nice. Even when sitting in silence with her on the daybeds, there was a tranquillity he has never experienced before; weirdly enough, he didn’t want it to end so soon either. As much as he tries to push away that continuous whisper in his head, reminding him of his interest in Chloe, he still wants to give Marisol a proper chance. Ever since day one, she’s thrown flirty gestures and now that he’s picked her, it’s only fair to try to get to know the dark blonde student. 

Shortly after Gary’s odd complaint of keeping the room quiet, Dicky lifts his head from the companion of his fluffy pillow and throws his mate a bleary glare for disrupting his sleep. He doesn’t care if the bloody lights have turned on, the mechanic is not ready to get up just yet. Low grumbles of irked breath air get out of Jason’s teeth as his long fingers tightly grip onto the duvet and throws the warm covers over his head. 

“Some of us are trying to sleep off an… active night.” The muscular blond spits out a bold phrase, without giving it a second thought. A cocky smirk curls at the sound of his own words. Despite his wording seeming overly confident, a hint of concern flickers in his mind after seeing the others remain still.

While directing her look to him and after hearing his imprudent comment about him and Marisol, Minni raises a conspicuous eyebrow. As cautious as she wants to be, she can’t help but slightly squint the outer corner of her cobalt eyes to hear such a pompous declaration. Near the physics’ student bed, Lottie darts her green orbs over at the crane operator, already throwing him a silent scowl. She remains reserved after hearing him but she’s already shaking her head out of disapproval. 

“But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Mins?” Attempting to ignore Lottie’s burning glare, Gary diverts the attention to his former partner and waits with curiosity to hear the freckled girl’s response. 

The younger brunette girl decides to respond to his comment graciously, sliding the duvet down to surround her shoulders. “I haven’t even got started,” she smirks smugly enough to catch the blond’s interest to the turn of the chat.

Now feeling more at ease with the banter, Gary’s shoulders release a bit of tension and grins over at the cheeky Cambridge student, “Damn, girl. Don’t keep us up all night!” He shortly laughs and decides to continue with the easy-going chat, already finding the morning becoming quite entertaining now, “I’ll eventually need my beauty sleep.”

Minni stifles a laugh at his response and turns around, seeming to put a friendly end to the conversation. Gary’s stare follow her movements as she unwraps herself off the duvet and gently places it over Rocco’s body, who is still in deep sleep. Then, she starts tucking him in and the curly-haired man shifts slightly, turning to his side to face her. Without opening his eyes, he lets out a sigh and unconsciously nuzzles her thigh. The blue-eyed girl smiles at her partner’s gesture, her delicate features lighting up with a soft manner, and starts petting his light-brown hair.

“Marisol and I had a great time last night. If you know what I mean…” Without hesitation, Gary continues to flaunt about his time with his current partner. The same grin plastered on his face seems to extend as he pushes on the insinuation of doing small bits with the Spanish girl. 

“I actually don’t know what you mean,” Minni scrunches her pretty face into a perplexed look. She keeps her stare on the confident blue-eyed man, waiting to hear what else he’s got to say. 

Gary huffs out a prideful breath, easily coordinating well with a smirk that’s hugging his golden bearded cheeks, “Was meant to be a little spooning. But we may have had a bit of a smooch as well.”

“Ugh…” An annoyed hiss sharply shoots out of Lottie. Her grimace deepens and her look remains menacingly on the spiky-haired man.

A little bothered by having Gary tell them all of this stuff, Minni just shrugs. Just for a little, she decides to mess with him. The physics student reckons that two can play the same game. “A bit of a smooch?” She asks with a playful grin, “How boring, everyone does that at this point. I thought you were gonna tell us juicier stuff. Besides, I didn’t hear a thing. And I was awake until _really late_ at night.”

“I didn’t think anyone would,” Gary swiftly replies to the ongoing banter and chuckles through a toothy smile. He straightens his back, strong shoulders aligned perfectly, and feeling even more confident with the chat he’s having, “I know how to keep it down in here, unlike _some people_.”

From a short distance, Chloe remains silent and is still sitting on her bed just watching the whole scene play out. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the blond brawny man this assured when he’s always been a cheeky bloke, but something isn’t sitting right for her. The crane operator continues to boastfully assert his provocative activities with Marisol and doesn’t seem to want to stop. Looking around the communal bedroom, the cellist notices that pretty much all of the Islanders are wide awake now. Clearly, Gary’s taken everyone’s attention at this point, making a frown linger over her lips, only praying for him to stop his chatting before this gets any worse. 

After hearing the blond man’s response, Minni bats her eyelashes. “I don’t get why you’re complaining. Look at you, it’s not like you need your beauty sleep, anyway,” the astrophysics student effortlessly fiddles with her loose hair as she utters her words. 

For a moment, Gary feels a little taken aback by the unexpected compliment coming from the younger brunette and tries his best to hide his flustered face.

Taking her attention away from the conversation between the two blue-eyed Islanders, Chloe feels the bed’s weight shift and her head turns to the side to feel Dicky now sitting beside her. The stunning musician greets him with a vibrant morning smile, and he responds by lightly patting her back. Jason’s dark raven locks are dishevelled and he is squinting his green-hazel eyes from the brightness of the room. 

“What the hell is going on?” His low raspy morning voice is directed to Chloe and all she can do is sigh at the situation. She surely has a feeling that this isn’t going to end well.

“Your _friend_ is being quite vocal about his time with Marisol,” she answers.

Jason can hear a bit of displeasure dance within his partner’s statement and he can’t really blame her when he’s clearly heard his mate repeatedly parading himself. He looks down at Chloe and notices her stare staying still at Gary’s presumptuous mannerisms. The older dark-haired couple continues to listen to the unnecessary chit chat. It’s needless for them to move any closer, as their bed location is relatively close to Gary’s and Marisol’s. 

“But seriously, I’m like a ninja doing bits.” The blond puffs out his chest and humps out another of the typical smug smirks. It almost looks like he’s enjoying the attention he’s gathered and can’t seem to put an end to the topic.

As he gets into a comfortable sitting position on his bed, Dicky lightly ruffles his own hair and fixes a cunning grin, whilst thinking about messing with his mate’s ninja bits skills. “I reckon you nailed those birds with surprise attacks cos of how quiet you kept them, mate,” the older mechanic snickers to himself. A few beds away, he faintly glimpses at Minni covering her playful smile. The mechanic feels suddenly pleased with himself to know the comment has caused a humorous effect on the young woman.

“Exactly!” Gary responds with an agreeing grin that disappears within seconds to notice Minni snorting out a louder chuckle. “Wait…” He lingers a gullible frown and muddled blue eyes scan some of the other Islanders coughing out short laughs as well. He is still trying to figure out what’s so funny, but he knows that he’s surely being the bum of the joke.

All of the sudden, everyone sees Marisol emerging from under the covers beside the blond man. Her slim fingers rub out the tiredness from her eyelids before fixing a pout at Gary.

“What are you talking about?” Marisol’s tone of voice turns a bit frosty after listening to all the nonsense Gary’s been saying this morning. She senses a layer of irritation forming in her face to know he’s said all of that with her right next to him. “It was just a small peck on the lips,” the tanned-skinned girl attempts to clarify.

“Oh, erm, it seemed like more to me…” Gary’s voice goes quiet and awkwardly scratches the side of his head, keeping the same frown in place. He doesn’t know how else to react to Marisol’s response, especially when she seems to be a bit defensive about her small gesture from last night.

At the twist of the situation, Minerva widens her astonished light gaze, and now wonders what Gary must’ve been trying to get out of telling everyone about the apparent false information. Her steady stare shifts between him and Marisol as she continues to run her fingers through a still asleep Rocco’s wavy locks.

Sitting in the bed next to Gary and Marisol, the hazel-eyed couple mirror each other’s startled expression as they exchange a quick look, before staring back at the hasty situation the crane operator has brought upon himself. Dicky ticks his tongue against his teeth out of frustration for his mate, knowing that he can’t get him out this fuss this time; all he can do is just shake his head and painfully watch him take the bullets. The mechanic’s mysterious stare gapes at the upcoming mess and gulps in a stored breath full of stress for his friend. At some point, Dicky’s large fingers clench briefly into a fist resting on his lap, seemingly ready to jump in at any point anyone tries to disrespect the blond man, even after acknowledging that he probably deserves some scolding after having messed up like this.

Out of pure anxiousness for the young crane operator’s situation, Chloe subconsciously begins to play around with one of her hair tie. Her fingers lightly stretch the elastic band as her golden-light brown eyes cloud in confusion to see this side of Gary. Even though she knows he’s in the wrong for lying about doing bits, part of her sort of feels sympathy. She quickly remembers their conversation from last night and hears the ring of his optimistic voice in her head, telling her how much he’s looking forward to being coupled up with Marisol.

The law student lightly angles her head at Gary’s defensive response and raises a wary eyebrow and crosses her arms. “How? It was just a little peck to say ‘goodnight’. I was just being friendly,” Marisol quickly quarrels and glares at her current partner.

 _Friendly? Yikes_ , Minni thinks, keeping quiet. Curious to see the other’s reactions, her sight travels over to Lottie, who is the closest to her bed. The makeup artist’s arms remain folded just as before, but now carries amusement on her sharp features by how things are playing out. One can perhaps interpret her suppressed grin as a sign of enjoyment for the unfortunate embarrassment of the muscular Chathamite. Minni turns back to intently watch Gary, now noticing how profound of a hole he’s dug himself.

The crane operator’s frown deepens to see how frosty Marisol’s glare targets his face. “Well it still felt special,” he hesitantly parts his lips, as if he wants to preserve any self-virtue left in the argument. 

“Well, I didn’t mean it to be a whole big deal,” Marisol scoffs at the blond Islander and rolls her eyes at how ridiculed he’s made himself to appear.

Gary grits his teeth inside his mouth, his strong jaw visibly clenching, and feeling the humiliation cascading down his masculine face. He casts a glance over at Minni, who’s face squirms in a cringing manner to witness such an uncomfortable circumstance. Then, his gaze shifts over to his dark-haired friend and they briefly meet. Jason can only lower his eyebrows and lightly shakes his head disapprovingly of how he’s handling everything. Finally, his blue sight locks with the owner of a pair of elegant amber orbs, the ones he got lost into last night. It’s really hard for him to read Chloe’s reaction to all of this and slightly panics to see her looking away and choosing to stare down at the floor instead.

Knowing that the cellist didn’t want to keep further eye contact makes Gary’s chest clutch into knots, his breath already caught in his throat. He realizes that he’s possibly at a bad start to impress the glamorous Londoner now. The blond man can clearly see how her small frame comes a little closer to Jason’s, her shoulder almost grazing the taller man’s upper arm, but her stare remaining blankly at the floor. His mind races desperately to find out what her thoughts are on him, frightened to think that she could be concluding a bad conception of him.

The blue-eyed man’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a bothered humph coming from his other side. His stare now turns to a Lottie, her threatening posture almost coming off as entitled. “You’re such a liar, Gary. It’s already hurt Hannah,” the Australian girl spitefully says.

Now it’s Gary’s time to corner a sour frown at the old subject. It’s pestering him at how she can’t seem to let that go, not even after the chat they had last night. He thought that yesterday’s conversation was going to make the whole Hannah thing be water under the bridge, but soon he realizes that apparently not, especially when he’s distinguishing the blonde girl’s anger building up just like it happened in the bathroom last night.

“What are you talking about?” the spiky-haired Islander snarls at the pointless dispute about the redhead girl. He’s already had this bloody discussion with Lottie and thinks that he doesn’t need to repeat himself about it. “I was always straight with her. Why are you even bringing this up?”

“It happened last night! You had the chance to save my friend!” The Aussie continues to whine about her desire of keeping her friend in the Villa, and doesn’t seem to notice Gary’s intolerance for her is beginning to climb to a peak.

An awkward silence follows, with the fair-skinned makeup artist not hearing a proper response from the visibly nettled blue-eyed man. This makes her turn her sight over to Minni. Considering how the young student said she still had her as a friend, Lottie silently asks her for some support, but instantly pouts to witness the freckled brunette roll her eyes at her, evidently not agreeing with what she just said. Next up, Lottie, turns over to perhaps someone extremely neutral and tries to meet Chloe's stare, only to spot the musician lightly scoffing a disapproving breath and crossing her arms, reluctant to get into the dramatic situation. This only makes the Aussie’s temper rise, particularly when seeing how dismissive everyone’s being. Her look can’t help but glide over to Chloe’s partner and just realises how infuriating Dicky’s glare has been on her this entire time.

“Is it necessary to have this discussion?” Minni exasperates a jaded exhale in between her lips, breaking the tense silence.

“Apparently…” Gary scrunches his nose and grumbles out his answer.

Without a second thought, Dicky stands up from his seat on the bed and barks out his impatience towards Lottie. He can’t find any further indulgence to continue hearing how much she was nagging at his mate, “You know you’ve got a lot of nerve to say that about Gary when he picked wisely. I reckon it’s a good thing your fairy-tale ‘friend’ has left, cos there was no way she was going to find what she was looking for in here.”

When listening to his comment, Lottie’s cool green eyes burn harshly back at the mechanic. She feels the anger crawling up her throat to hear someone talk badly about Hannah. Bitterness begins to gravitate on her face until she can’t help but throw and insult back, “I can tell you right now that you’ll soon get dumped from the Villa; my tea leaves never lie. I’m sure Chloe can’t wait to have another Recoupling to see a happier face when she wakes up,” the makeup artist blurts out her thoughts out loud, satisfied to have finally said what she thinks of the brunet man.

Still sitting on her bed, Chloe widens her eyes to hear Lottie bring her into the argument, when she’s remained out of the whole situation this entire time. The cellist throws the pale woman a glare for trying to make up such terrible lies about her planning on dumping Dicky. Then, the hazel-eyed brunette opens her mouth to respond back at Lottie, but Jason speaks up first, staging a long frown out of sarcasm.

“Oh, was that supposed to hurt my feelings, Charlotte?” he says, keeping his deep hazel sight on the heavily inked girl as a way of challenging her to continue the argument. “I bet you only considered that girl your mate cos she was the only one willing to kiss your arse.”

After his last statement, the dark-haired man notices distress dawning in Lottie’s face. He can’t help but find it satisfying to see her keeping quiet for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Ever since Dicky’s been the Villa, the blonde girl has always been overly dramatic for his taste. He reckons that every time he’s been around her, there has been always something for her to complain about, the only way he has reacted so far has been by rolling his eyes. The mechanic also remembers that, the minute Priya walked in here, he noticed how quick Lottie was to give the newer girl the cold shoulder, when other girls like Chloe and Minerva, even Hope and Marisol, would amiably greet the oldest girl. Overall, the Aussie’s outburst from now only makes Dicky feel even more rejective towards her.

“Guys, let’s not argue anymore,” Minni raises her hands in the air as an attempt to grab Dicky and Lottie’s attention, “Everyone’s emotions are running high already. This place has this effect, it’s like everything gets amplified,” she cautiously tries to bring in the peace, while her look moves from the angered mechanic to the troubled Melbourne native. “It’s true that we lost Hannah yesterday but, although it’s sad, somebody had to go. Besides, Gary was in a tough position and didn’t take that decision lightly. So let’s just drop this, yeah?”

“Yeah but—” Dicky’s argument is immediately cut off as Minerva stands up and delivers a determined look. Holding her piercing glare on his, the young woman shakes her head, silently telling the mechanic to end the discussion now. Feeling somehow frozen in place for a split second, as he didn’t expect her to be so determined, the cranky man shuts his mouth and faintly complains to himself.

“Hold on, Lottie,” Marisol squints her eyes suspiciously over at the blonde girl, “If Gary hadn’t picked me, I’d have gone home.”

The Aussie Islander can sense her face fluster for being in the hot seat this time and pouts back at Marisol, “Look, I’m not saying I don’t want you here, babe. It’s just that Hannah and I were close. I just want my friend back.”

“I still don’t get why you’re having a go at me,” Gary blurts out, getting into the conversation again after having it kept quiet as Lottie and Dicky argued. “And now I have someone I actually want to get to know.” After saying that, the crane operator sputters, unable to hold back the words coming out of his mouth. Instantly, his mind races to correct himself, “I mean, I _had_ someone I wanted to get to know, but she got taken off the table before I could choose!”

Just then, Gary realizes he just gave too much away and makes the best of his effort to not land his gaze over at Dicky nor Chloe, whereas Minni raises her eyebrows at the handsome blond as a silent response, not knowing if he’s referring to her or not.

Stirring next to Minni and then wrapping his arms around her waist, Rocco opens his eyes and speaks. “Whoa, man. This is a really bad vibe to start the day with.”

After shooting him a glare, Dicky rolls his eyes at the odd comment. “Oh really? We haven’t noticed,” he sardonically replies to Rocco's intervention, not being sure whether or not the bitterness of his reply has been fuelled by the fact that the younger man picked up the girl that the mechanic was planning on choosing yesterday.

“It’s Lottie who should calm down, mate,” Gary grumbles under his afflicted breath, not really knowing where to direct his anger to. Marisol touches his arm until he boorishly shrugs it off, now sensing his irritation ready to snap. “No! I’ve barely woken up and Lottie’s already on my case,” he sharply complains out loud, now hating being the centre of attention for something like this. “And Dicky’s done with it as well.”

All of this is overwhelming for him, and suddenly unwanted thoughts start coming his way. Gary feels like back in school again, with everyone picking at him for no reason, even when it’s not entirely like that. In this state, everything for him feels augmented, his flaws exaggerated by his own mind. He fights with his emotions as to not to get buried under a pile of self-doubt and lack of confidence.

The blond man looks around the room, and then stops frowning. A little voice in his head, which is usually buried deep within and comes out once in a while, has a great solution for all of this: hit the gym, get bigger and bulkier. This way, all of his problems will go away, right? All of his insecurities will vanish as soon as he manages to make his biceps increase in size, his back look stronger, his shoulders appear wider, or that’s what his mind makes him believe. This hasn’t happened to him in such a long time, so he doesn’t notice it’s wrong. A grin emerges on his face instead.

“Ha! It’s all bants anyway,” Gary exclaims, his thoughts convincing him that everything will be okay once he gets a hold on some dumbbells. Rapidly, he jumps out of the bed and heads for the door, “I’m gonna go lift something heavy.”

As soon as Jason sees his younger friend sauntering out the door, worry starts brewing inside his chest. The room goes quiet, with the rest of the people feeling awkward from the aftermath of the drama. Then, a resentful scowl swims across Dicky’s face, his reasoning blaming Lottie for originating the issue, at the same time taking a guess on what Gary meant about lifting something heavy.

With a deep and quiet growl stuck in his throat, the mechanic throws Lottie a deathly glare, and she responds with a similar one. Not wasting more time on the argument, the brunet man straightens his back and starts walking over towards the door.

“Fuckstick.” He listens Lottie muttering under her breath just as he is about to exit.

After hearing her bitterly speaking again, Dicky makes a great effort not to escalate the situation and decides to take a mocking approach. He turns around in that same instant and raises his thick eyebrows in evident fake surprise, taking especial notice at the way the rest of the Islanders are nervously staring at the pair, everyone tense as they expect him to continue with the altercation with an increased intensity.

“Oh, I’ve never been called _that one_ before. Australian word, right?” The mechanic sneers, “No worries, darling. I’m sure you’ll come up with something better next time.”

Without waiting for her reaction or possible answer, Jason turns around and gets out of the bedroom, heading towards the gym in search of his mate.

**At the gym – Morning.**

Swiftly making his way over to the equipped gym, Dicky’s sight easily locates Gary’s wide back facing him, the outline of his large muscles showcasing the tension of the weights going up and down. The athletic-looking blond huffs out a low groan each time he pulls the large steel dumbbells near his chest. Dicky morosely shakes his head to view Gary’s issue dominating his friend’s body. He notices his younger mate strain himself quicker with the weights and puffs out faster breaths to release the pressure of keeping up with the challenging task. The tall mechanic knows that there isn’t much that he can do for him regarding his condition, but never fails to check up on him whenever Gary’s spotted doing this. 

Blinking out the displeasure of how Gary’s handling this, Dicky heavily sighs and gets closer. “Gary…” the mechanic sternly calls out his name, hoping it’ll catch the blond man’s attention, but it seems like his workout intensifies instead. 

_Come on, you have to keep going. Keep it up_ , says a little intrusive idea that ignited in Gary’s thoughts in the first place. Somehow, that same thought is louder than Jason’s voice, and the crane operator can’t help but ignore it and just focus on the commands that echoes in his head. His fingers clutch stubbornly to the heavy dumbbells and his vision darkens to only keep pushing himself, not caring about his own physical limits. Gary wants to be bigger and more muscular, he needs to build more strength; that’s the only way to overcome the embarrassment he’s felt today. Apparently, the sensation that he’s less than others has decided to stay. 

Without slowing down, Gary angles his head to the side and views how satisfying his bicep flexes each time he lifts. He can’t help but corner a grin to already feel the stamina overflowing. _That’s it. No stopping until you get bigger and stronger_ , that thought keeps pushing the ambition of continuing.

“Come on, mate. We should get back before the rest of the lads come over here,” a frustrated groan rumbles out of Dicky just as his hands probe on each side of his waist. His concerned gaze stays on his overworked blue-eyed friend trying to think how else he can convince this bloke to let go.

“Just a couple more rounds," the muscular spiky-haired Islander manages to stiffly exhale out an answer, grunting each time he feels his pulse burn to the workout. It’s sort of difficult to determine if he’s telling himself that or responding to the raven-haired man that’s standing next to him.

Not even willing to hear an answer from Dicky, the crane operator dismisses his friend’s presence for a moment and senses a wave of adrenaline washing over him. His determined light eyes shift over to the barbell with the weight plates already adjusted on the ends. His muscles have already gotten used to lifting that amount of weight by now, making him conclude that he needs something heavier, something else that will surely transform him into a stronger, bulkier, more confident man. Because of this, Gary shortens his round of lifts and throws the heavy weights to the ground, quickly preparing to make his way over to the more challenging activity, until someone’s shadow shields the sun’s light and blocks his path.

Then, Gary looks up to view Jason’s glare matching his angry frown and with arms folded over his chest. Authoritative green-brown hues are fixed on the younger tattooed man, with the intimidating mechanic simply shaking his head. He can’t tell if this will annoy Gary, as it has happened other times back home, but he’s doing it for the safety and health of a good mate. He can’t imagine how worried Gary’s nan would be if she was ever to see this on TV.

“Don’t do this again, please,” Jason gently pleads, care and preoccupation washing over his usually apathetic voice tone.

It’s the way in which Dicky says those words that make the younger of the two slowly loosen his broad shoulders, considering how serious his mate is right now. The mechanic is surely a man of few words, but that small sentence carried such meaningful apprehension that makes Gary come to his normal senses gradually.

The crane operator parts his lips, ready to respond, but keeps a pause to recall the last time his brunet friend had to stop him from working out like this. Not many people know about this condition, because the blue-eyed lad is very careful with who he shares such a vulnerable side to his life. Sometimes, it has to take his grumpy friend to make Gary snap out of it and make him rethink his decisions.

A hefty sigh shoots out from the golden-haired Chathamite and briefly wipes his eyebrow’s sweat. He’s still pondering in silence, checking his head and reasoning with what Dicky’s asked of him, until he decides to nod in agreement.

“Yeah…” Gary murmurs, and can’t help but feel a bit of shame for allowing this to occur again. “I’m sorry, mate. You know how I get when I feel a little, you know... down.”

Dicky silently nods back and eases now to see Gary reasoning with himself. He squints his hazel eyes as a result of strong light cascading from the sun rays, but persists to keep his stare on his friend, “You oughtn’t apologise for that, lad. I just want to make sure you check with yourself first, is all.”

After hearing his comforting response, the shorter, muscular man takes a seat at the edge of a nearby bench and slouches his back, in deep thought of why he’s come over here to the gym, “I suppose I started stressing out about everything all at once. First, it was last night’s Recoupling along with dumping one of the girls, then this morning’s problem with Marisol, and Lottie nagging me out of nowhere,” he shakily breathes out through his lightly flared nostrils and promptly wipes a hand across his troubled face. 

Jason carelessly waves out a hand in the air, trying to dismiss Gary’s burdens. “Argh, don’t worry about those birds, mate. I’m sure you’ve done right, cos if I’d have been in your position last night, I’d surely pick Marisol over Hannah, too,” he says reassuringly, in hope that it’s been enough to evaporate his mate’s worry of eliminating the wrong girl from the Villa.

“Really?” Gary brings his chin up, expressive blue irises staring above to still spot his friend standing in front of him. A glimpse of realisation ignites over his face as he concludes that he’s done nothing wrong by picking Marisol. Even if Lottie found it distressful of having Hannah sent home, it was Gary’s decision to stick with the girl he fancies the most.

A short chuckle overcasts the depth of Dicky’s voice to ease both of them out of the tense subject, “Of course! And don’t listen to Lottie; she’s all bark and no bite, that woman. I don’t want anyone to make you feel like you’ve done wrong because of a rightful decision _you_ had to make, yeah?” 

Feeling better, Gary finally stands up with that signature grin gleaming over his cheeks and his posture coming back to his normal confident self. “You’re right, bruv. I think I’m feeling a lot better now. And thanks, by the way,” the crane operator says with a humbled tone of gratitude. 

A small smile corners Dicky’s lips and responds with another nod to the spiky-haired blond. “Anytime. But now, you’ll have to fix me up one of your cuppas, mate,” he jokingly declares until Gary’s gaze glimmers enthusiastically at the idea, not showing any signs of opposing. 

The brawny crane operator firmly pats Dicky’s back, more enthused now, which makes the older lad’s deep emerald-brown eyes widen to the strength of his hand. It’s almost like his younger mate is completely unaware of how powerful his hand thumps against the grumpy mechanic.

Maintaining that same smile, Gary meets his best mate’s gaze, “A blinding cuppa sounds amazing right now, I reckon.”

**At the lawn – Noon.**

The group of the young Islanders briskly walks out into the bright lawn, excited looks catching sight of neatly arranged tables displaying all sorts of breakfast varieties. Going down, the buffet tables laden with deliciously crafted pastries, colourful cereals, assorted cooked eggs, fruity juices; the table goes endless with various types of breakfast they can construct themselves. Bobby and Priya squeal as they make their way closer to the middle of the lawn and heavily smile at the spectacular view of the gorgeously set tables for two, and quickly pace to call dibs for their own seats.

Gary’s eyes light up along with a wide smile to witness the amount of food that’s just waiting to be picked out. “Yes, bruv! This is more like it,” his voice perks to see this morning getting a little better now. Perhaps, with all the commotion that’s happened, a lush breakfast is exactly what he needs right now. 

Dicky is right behind his younger friend and lightly pats Gary’s shoulder in response to the shared thrill of their upcoming meal. The quiet mechanic looks over the blond’s shoulder and his unbothered hazel glare instantly shimmers at the sight of all the appetising selections adorned beautifully on those serving plates. Forget the cuppa he’s asked for, _this_ is what a breakfast should look like. His hypnotic stare breaks to hear a feminine voice coming from his side, making Dicky look down to see the same sparkle linger in Chloe’s pupils to view the food, her lips widening to a pleased grin.

A short gasp fills the cellist’s lungs and her hand grips onto Dicky’s forearm to intake the beautiful scenery in front of them. “Pinch me because I must be dreaming— _ow_!” Chloe peeves out a pout and looks up at her partner for actually pinching her upper arm. She squints her sunny eyes to see an entertained smirk cornering the edge of his mouth.

“I don’t think you’re dreaming, love,” he responds cunningly, with an easy-going snicker sneaking through his teeth. He seems more pleased with himself to know he got a payback from her, for having pinched him last after his Recoupling speech.

The older dark-haired couple’s attention is quickly diverted over to their side, to see Rocco trying to have a chat with Minni, both getting close to the table. The curly-haired young man is looking down at the food, unsure of what he’ll be picking. To a certain degree, it’s almost offensive to the hazel-eyed pair to notice how dismissive he’s being towards the omelettes and perfectly toasted bread. 

“I like to experience a variety of foods,” Rocco says factually over to the astrophysics student. He squirms his mouth into a doubtful frown as he’s taking too long to decide, “But I can’t start the day with anything too heavy. It upsets my stomach.”

An annoyed Jason lays his large hand on Chloe’s shoulder and guides her to one of the serving plates to get started on their feast. “Nitwit,” he mutters under his breath. The young musician fails to keep a composed face and can’t help but giggle at the insult she knows is meant for the hippie-looking Islander. 

Just whilst Rocco is selectively picking their food, Minni glances at her older brunette friend smiling at the grumpy raven-haired man as he scoops layers and layers of eggs on his dish and onto Chloe’s. Even from afar, she can distinguish the eagerness from the duo each time they’d stack their plates with a new item. It’s kind of comical for Minni to see the older couple dangerously hogging up the food when there will hardly be any leftovers for the others.

Standing next to her, Rocco narrows his emerald-coloured eyed, scanning the end of the table, and finally spots a single grapefruit awaiting to be picked by someone. He happily grasps onto the citrusy fruit, lightly throwing it in the air— but it never comes back to the palm of his hand. Just then, he feels a tall presence coming from behind and witnesses Dicky with the same last grapefruit in hand, having caught it mid-air and now smirking down at the gobsmacked bloke.

“Ah, perfect. I knew I’ve missed something,” Dicky calmly says to himself, solemnly ignoring Rocco and making his way over to Chloe’s direction. When he gets to the classical cellist’s side, Jason hands her over the grapefruit. He briefly looks over his shoulder to spot Minni’s current partner, a bit upset that the last grapefruit was stolen, “Here, mate.” 

“Oh, thank you! I surely owe you one,” Chloe sheepishly smiles and quickly shrugs off the shame of asking her partner to help her get the last grapefruit. She tilts her head and glances at Rocco fetching himself an alternate source of fruit and senses a bit of guilt for having Dicky do some dirty work for her. “I reckon he hadn’t been too bothered about handing it over?” She asks curiously. 

Dicky loudly scoffs a chuckle at the thought of Rocco being labelled as a ‘challenge’. His expression glows with cockiness and looks down at the golden-eyed beauty, “It was like taking candy from a baby.” 

Near the older couple, Noah skirts around the buffet table and looms over at his observation of what’s left. He begins to pick a piece of everything, wanting a sample of each delectable item. Without a doubt, it’d be easier to have Hope help him with the food since he’s almost juggling both plates, but he decides not to interrupt the deep chat she’s having with Marisol at the table’s corner.

“It’s only been an evening, babe,” Hope lingers a small wince across her features for the Spanish girl’s predicament, but still manages to deliver a bit of reassurance. Her gaze glimpses over to notice her librarian partner discreetly keeping up with their conversation. 

“I know, but I was expecting to feel something different…” Marisol’s eyebrows lower with uncertainty to her voice. She remains in silence for a bit and purses her lips tightly, trying to ponder the correct phrase to convey her situation with Gary, “A certain _spark_ , you know?”

“Oh, here’s Chloe,” Hope states loud enough for the glamorous musician’s attention to be fully captured. Then, she turns to Marisol, just after seeing the hazel-eyed girl making her way over to the huddled girls. Hope still spots that same concerned frown on the law student’s lips. “Do you want her take on it?” She asks intently, genuinely wanting to clear the dark blonde’s thoughts on all of this. Perhaps hearing Chloe’s opinion may help out, considering how close the cellist has come to be with her own partner.

Marisol shifts her sight to Chloe, with the elegant musician patiently waiting to know what she’s needed for. The tanned girl pushes her black frames at the root of her nose and sighs, “Actually, can I get your opinion?” She looks over at the neatly positioned food before focusing back on the older brunette. “So with you and Jason…” Marisol catches Chloe already raising an eyebrow to the initiation of the topic but also keeping silence to hear where this is leading to, “Are you feeling, you know… ‘The Spark’?”

“Huh?” Chloe scrunches her nose along with big perplexed honey-coloured eyes. She truly wasn’t expecting the random question.

“You know, that special something?” Marisol’s tone of voice emphasises more as she elaborates on the concept of that feeling she’s been waiting for since day one. 

Chloe breathes out a brief nervous chuckle to such a question and her sight glides between Hope and Marisol, anticipating her answer, “Um, well... I reckon it’s a bit early to say considering I’ve only known the bloke for a few days. Only time will tell, wouldn’t you agree?”

A sigh escapes Marisol’s red painted lips, not seeming too convinced, as she would’ve preferred an answer that doesn’t imply waiting for a spark to happen. Hope notices that the dark blonde Islander is thoughtful, so she decides to scan the table in search of the rest of the girls, to get more opinions on the matter. Her look soon lands on a blue-eyed freckled face, who belongs to the most grafted girl in the Villa so far.

“Hey, Minni,” she waves at her cautiously, managing not to catch Rocco’s attention. The group of girls waits in silence until the physics student gets closer, an at ease smile on her face as she picks on a single strawberry in her hand. “Marisol has a question for you.”

“Sure,” the younger girl says, turning her attention to the law student. “What’s up?”

“Have you… felt the Spark with Rocco already?” Marisol asks then, quite timid despite the blue-eyed girl’s welcoming attitude.

After hearing her question, Minerva blinks a couple of times, pondering her answer. She surely didn’t feel a special thing when she kissed Rocco last night, and hasn’t felt something either since. This doesn’t bother her, though; she’s a chill girl, so she will give him an opportunity but won’t force anything if she ends up not feeling the spark.

“Um, no, I don’t think so,” the younger brunette shrugs, casually. “But it’s not so bad, I reckon. Sometimes the spark takes some time to appear, you know.”

“Maybe it’s not just me, then,” Marisol hums out a sigh of relief to know she’s not alone, but she can’t help but dangle a frown when her dark brown eyes glance over at Gary, whose thoroughly engaged in a chat with Ibrahim, Dicky, and Bobby. “I know it’s only been an evening, but I thought I’d feel something immediately. I mean, I didn’t feel it with Ibrahim. But I’ve not got it with Gary yet either. And then he exaggerated about us making out last night….” A hinge of irritation sways out of the law student to recall the crane operator’s odd behaviour from earlier.

Standing next to her, Hope nods and, although she hasn’t really given her opinion about it, she thinks Marisol has every right to have ruffled thoughts on Gary now. “What would his nan say?” the dark-skinned girl asks.

“Exactly,” Marisol scoffs out that single word, displaying a sign of an abiding aggravation towards the muscular blond. “What do you think, girls?” Her attention is now at the two petite brunette friends.

Cobalt and golden-hazel eyes exchange a look before Chloe speaks up. 

“I think you need to give him some time to grow on you, Marisol. Technically, this _is_ your first day in an official couple with Gary. That ‘spark’ you’re looking for may come around when you least expect it,” she radiates the reassurance over to the tanned girl with a sweet smile, “Don’t worry about it, hun. With patience, things eventually come around.”

Right after delivering her answer, Chloe then feels a shed of guilt hovering over her head, considering what she’s said to Marisol in front of Minerva, who was coupled up with Gary just yesterday and seemed to be really into the blond man. Even though the freckled girl seems alright in her new couple with Rocco, especially from what she told her in this morning’s short chat, and, according to Gary, they’ve agreed to get to know the others, the cellist player can only hope that Minni doesn’t take the encouragement towards Marisol in a bad way. All Chloe will like to see is her younger friend happy with someone in the Villa.

Not noticing Chloe’s preoccupation, Minni just smiles kindly at Marisol. “Exactly,” she nods in agreement with her cellist friend. “Although a spark is essential, in my opinion, it sometimes takes time to develop, so you might as well give it a shot before giving up.”

When having listened to both brunette’s reassuring responses, Marisol’s shoulders loosen and evidently relaxes. Her expression is now at ease and gifts them a smile full of gratitude for the pep talk, “Thanks, that makes me feel a bit better. I just thought things would feel different now that we’re with the people we want to be with. You know?”

As a reply to her question, Minni has nothing more to offer than a shrug, since she didn’t exactly end up with the person she thought she’d end up with. Even when Rocco was her second option, she’s not bothered, but can’t say that she’s _exactly_ with the bloke she wanted to be.

“I found Gary so hot before and he seems super sweet. Why am I not feeling it?” Marisol continues speaking and hums out another breath. She starts slowly coming back to the same iffiness that she had at the beginning of the girls’ conversation, “I guess I should be getting back to him. I knew I could count on you two for help.”

Following that, she picks up two plates of food and heads back to her table with Gary, who meets her halfway. The tattooed blond tries to greet the Spanish Islander with a friendly smile but, even from afar, Chloe can tell that Marisol forces one out. As much as she wants to try to avoid the emotion, Chloe can’t ignore the bit of annoyance building up within her to hear Marisol having doubts about Gary now, after he’s saved her from the dumping. It’s normal for her to feel hesitant of him after stretching the truth about their kiss, but the London beauty feels like it’s only appropriate for Marisol to allow him to explain himself.

Just as the sunny-eyed woman brings her senses back to the group, she sees Hope beginning to walk away with Noah and both making their way to their table. Next, her sight lands on Dicky, who is quick to saunter his long frame over with another plate stacked with food. When seeing him, Chloe and Minni glance at each other and then back at the insane amount of food the mechanic’s gathered again. The pair of girls humorously smile at the dark-haired man, his fingers already scooping a bit of the scrambled eggs and messily aiming it towards his mouth. 

Now closer to them, Jason sways his jaw as he loudly chews his food and raises his slit dark eyebrow to look down at Minerva and Chloe. Noticing that both are clearly finding his love for food entertaining, he stops chewing, with food still in his mouth, and muffles out his curiosity.

“What?” Dicky asks impatiently, not hearing an answer from either of the brunettes straight away. 

Before Minni’s able to wittingly reply, she hears her own partner call out to her, interrupting their potential chat.

“Minni, ma cherie! I saw that you got side-tracked, so I picked up some toast as well. I didn’t want you to miss out, considering that Jason’s eating everything,” Rocco throws the Chathamite Islander a knowing look, but instantly looks away to feel his hazel glare darting right through him.

“So what?” Dicky barks back with an annoyed frown and slightly puffed out cheeks stuffed with food, “I’m feeling peckish.”

His harsh stare comes to meet Minerva’s charming gaze, his attention caught by her easy-going laughter as a result of his rude comeback. Confidence jolts within the grumpy man to know he’s managed to make the bubbly Cambridge student grin out a giggle, and he feels his expression softening a bit.

After she stops chuckling at Dicky’s cranky behaviour, the blue-eyed girl scans the pair of older Islanders in front of her. She reckons they look happy together, with Chloe being the only girl, besides her, that can stand the bad-tempered mechanic’s attitude for more than a few minutes. The physics student only hopes they keep being as solid as they look now, and that they end up being good for each other, even if she’s not seen any signs of deep romance between them yet.

“I know I said it yesterday, but you two look so cute together,” Minni beams at the hazel-eyed couple. “You two, and Noah and Hope, were the only two couples who coupled up back, so I guess you’re ones of the most solid out of all of us,” she continues to proudly parade them, genuinely cheery to see them getting along. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”

The last bit of her gentle voice numbs Dicky’s ears, impossible to ignore the let-down to hear her say that, despite knowing that she has the best intentions with her words, just like she did yesterday. Although he’s grateful to remain in a couple with a bird as sound as Chloe, there’s still a sting in his throat that bitterly swirls around when he sees Minni walk away with Rocco, right after offering the older pair a candid smile.

Jason gets the same feeling he had yesterday, the one that keeps stubbornly forcing him to let go of his liking on Minni. Just when this sentiment is beginning to boil, he feels Chloe lightly pulling his arm. Her gesture makes him irk a groan, caused by the mere touch from the theatrical instrumentalist. After growling again, he looks down at her and notices the small smile gracing her cheeks, not having an idea on what’s going on in his mind, and that what is causing him to be grumpier than usual is his unwanted crush on another girl.

Knowing that it wouldn't be fair to have a go at Chloe, because she has done nothing wrong, Dicky lets her guide him to an empty table by the pool. His stunning partner quickly takes her seat, and can see a resembling sparkle in her honey-hued irises traveling from one plate to another, indecisive of where to start. Trying to shake off his frustration, the mechanic joins her in the shared enjoyment of their breakfast and remains quiet whilst devouring a little bit of everything they’ve managed to bring to their table. 

The London native slightly lifts her chin as she concentrates on the exquisite flavours dancing in her mouth. Within seconds of gulping her eggs, she enthusiastically scoops another portion and leans to not miss an ounce of protein from avoiding her teeth. Suddenly, her big bright eyes blink at the obscure sounds Dicky begins to make. Chloe slowly straightens her back and amusingly raises the inner corners of her beautiful eyebrows. Her fingertips hover over her growing smile to observe how Jason loudly moans out his satisfaction, fully savouring the food that’s on the insides of his mouth. 

“I might get a bit jealous of those eggs, Jason,” the cellist jokingly teases as she grips onto the cup full of freshly squeezed juice.

It takes a moment for Dicky to concentrate on Chloe when all of his attention is still on his magnificent meal. Without losing sight of the toast, he bites in the soft crunch of the bread and another powerful moan rumbles out his throat.

“It’s not my fault my plate makes better company,” he effortlessly shrugs and gives her an unconcerned stare. He knows he will be inevitably grouchy today, as he doesn’t know how to cope with what he’s feeling and trying to avoid.

After hearing the cranky man say that last phrase without a single stutter, Chloe almost chokes on her drink. Taking a last bit of her beverage, she licks her lips to grasp the citrusy flavour and shakes her head to the silly insult. It seems like he’s extra mean today, but it’s nothing she can’t handle, so she shrugs off the comment.

Laying full sight at her current position, Chloe acknowledges how romantic’s set, every piece of furniture draped down in a full white cloth, the table adorned with a gorgeous single flower arranged on the side. Her gaze travels to Dicky and takes her time to analyse his concentrated facial expressions. She corners a smile to see him resuming to his moaning which can only trigger her to breathe out a soft giggle. 

Marisol’s question regarding ‘the spark’ has kept bugging her and, even though she meant every word about Dicky, Chloe can’t help but wonder when she’ll be feeling said spark with the handsome mechanic. She certainly doesn’t want to rush things, but considering it’s their fourth day together and they’ve also recoupled, the stupid topic has only left the musician thoughtful of where she may be at with Jason. All she can determine is that they enjoy each other’s company, they get along superbly, and he’s definitely her type. Sure, they’ve also shared a kiss just yesterday and, as brilliant of a kisser Dicky is, she must admit that it almost felt odd to look him in the eye afterwards. Then, Chloe rattles her mind from already dismissing the only bloke who’s willingly trying to get to know her. She thinks that she has to give this a chance no matter what, especially when she’s in a pressured place like Love Island. Just as she’s told Marisol, only time will tell if anything does develop between her and Jason. 

Dicky’s lips escape another explosive moan when he finishes his second plate and shakes his head, not believing just how scrumptious this is all tasting. “Mate, you better leave some of that,” he points with his fork over to Chloe’s plate just as she’s equally engaged with her food. 

When listening to his command, the gorgeous brown-haired girl defensively pouts over at him and subconsciously becomes protective of her pancakes, while her fingers pull the plate closer to her. “No fair, you’ve already had your share,” she says. 

Just when Dicky breathes in and parts his lips to respond, his voice is cut off by Rocco’s loud voice calling Minni 'ma cherie' once again. The younger couple is sitting on a table near them and have been chatting candidly as both pick on small amounts of food.

The mechanic is not careful to cover the fact that it wholeheartedly bothers him every time he listens to the lad’s voice. His stare stills at the younger couple, taking notice of how motivated Minni is talking to an attentive Rocco, just by the hand gestures she’s making at him. Dicky reckons that the blue-eyed girl is possibly chatting about her knowledgeable spatial ideas, and that the imbecile of her partner probably isn’t keeping up with the conversation. The hazel-eyed man doesn’t want to think much about it, but he briefly wonders what it’d be like to be sitting across from Minerva; he struggles when admitting to himself that, maybe, he’d want to be listening to her chatting so enthusiastically right now.

Scrunching his lips into a thin line and lightly scratching his dark stubble on his chin, he softly sighs out his thoughts on all of this. He tries his best to ignore the blue-eyed girl’s presence, even when her smile, that radiates happiness from afar, causes a bloody feeling that keeps tugging in his stomach.

As soon as she hears Rocco’s words too, Chloe immediately groans at his constant mispronunciation of the common French phrase. Her patience keeps diminishing every time he says it incorrectly and overuses it. She can tell that he typically uses it as a cheap shot to charm girls.

“Goodness, he’s well annoying,” she finally blurts out before taking another sip of her drink. 

Jason huffs out an agreeable chuckle and nods. “I second that thought,” he responds, his deep glare takes a last glimpse over at Minni’s table before bringing his attention back to his current partner. 

“He’s not even properly pronouncing it correctly. It’s _ma chérie_ , not ma cherie,” Chloe lightly rolls her amber eyes and continues with her rant. “If you’re going to say it excessively, at least pronounce it right.” 

Dicky’s ears perk to hear Chloe’s authentic accent smoothly saying the phrase and, for once, it doesn’t rile him to hear it. Until now, he’s realised that it’s his first time listening to her alluring French accent. A grin curls the crease of his mouth. “That was kind of hot. How have you said that again? _Ma chérie_?” He teases her polished tone of voice.

The poised musician can’t control her laughter when the mechanic repeats it over and over again, mocking the phrase in a terrible French accent and beginning to mimic Rocco’s smoulder face. Chloe settles her fork aside from the plate and hovers her small hands over her face to cover her embarrassment, but continues to giggle at the banter.

“Hun, stop it. Rocco is enough for this place. We don’t need another one,” she chuckles.

“Hah, you’re right. Besides, I’m sure he’s even said the same rubbish to Lottie when they were together,” Dicky’s grin gradually disappears to recall the argument he locked himself into with the Australian girl earlier, just for the sake of defending Gary. His stare goes over to the blonde’s table and sees that she can’t seem to take a bite of her food without almost spitting it out with laughter from whatever Bobby is telling her. She seems to be in a better mood with the Scottish lad, and the brunet man can only hope it stays like that.

Right at the mention of the makeup artist, Chloe slumps her shoulders to recall what she told Dicky, about the cellist wanting to couple up with someone else. From earlier, it seems like it didn’t bother the raven-haired man, but Chloe carries an urge to clarify that false information

Ever since the London girl has seen Lottie blurt out such untruthful declarations, she hasn’t really befriended the inked woman. They’ve shared chats when the other girls are around, but that’s about it. From this point on, Chloe decides to just be careful with her, wary of ever sharing anything with her. The only girls she’s come to truly get along with have been Minerva and Priya. The cellist’s look roams over to the side, spotting the estate agent nodding to Ibrahim, appearing like she’s keeping up with the athletic Islander’s conversation.

After that, her features shine in distress as she releases a sharp exhale of breath and bravely steadies her stare back at the Chathamite. “Jason, I just want to tell you that what Lottie’s said earlier is completely wrong. I’ve _never_ said anything about wanting to couple up with another boy or any—” she interrupts herself to hear Dicky’s light-hearted laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, Chloe. I can tell she was pulling that out of her arse to get me to snap. Besides, I know you’re an honest bird and you would’ve told me something by now,” his voice grows a bit gentle at the topic, understanding that his partner needs to hear the assurance from his end.

Chloe’s shoulder’s ease from the stress as she leans her back against her chair. “I’m glad to hear that, hun,” she smiles appreciatively, causing Dicky to return it within an instant, knowing she’s probably one of the few people here that’s quite grown on him. Of course, he’d never admit it out loud, but he’s come to cherish the girl more than what he’s anticipated.

The dark-haired pair comes to another easy silence as they finish their respective meals. The refined golden-eyed woman devours the last of her pancakes and scans the sight of the lawn, to end up landing her gaze over at Marisol and Gary’s table. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be chatting at all. The pair remains distinctively quiet and do not seem to take a liking of each other’s company.

After talking with Marisol, Chloe was convinced that the dark blond girl would talk to Gary about their situation, especially when both her and Minerva provided her reassurance, but it seems like she’s even trying to avoid meeting looks with the crane operator. With the cellist’s sunny eyes remaining observant, Gary looks over at her direction and aligns his sky blue with the hers. The spiky-haired blond sends Chloe a wink from a distance and widens a friendly smile across his bearded cheeks for her. His charismatic gesture makes her return a polite smile, happy to see that he seems to be doing alright after this morning’s drama.

Their gaze is cut short after they hear an abrupt sound of a chair rustling against the lawn, only to witness Rocco standing up and making his way over to Minerva.

“I’m going to do it anyway!” the curly-haired man exclaims, loud enough for all the Islanders to hear.

Out of the blue, he breaks into a performance of My Girl by the Temptations, delivered by his wobbly and completely out of tune voice. To enhance his presentation, he grabs one of the spoons, splashing the food that remained on top of it to Minni’s lap without noticing, and uses it as a microphone, the rest of his body moving around with poor rhythm.

“I've got so much honey the bees envy me!” he sings, swaying from side to side. He breaks into some dance moves, pointing at his partner with one tanned finger. “I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees. Well I guess you'd say!”

Luckily for him, the blue-eyed girl is very good at disguising her embarrassment; even though she can sense the Islanders turn and watch, some with raised eyebrows on their faces, she keeps her composure and calmly cleans the yoghurt off her legs, while keeping an at ease smile.

Rocco’s off-beat tune is echoed across the lawn, making everyone keep quiet at his atrocious interpretation of the vintage song. He tries to take Minni’s hand and weirdly twirls himself around his hold, having to duck down to move below her arm, “I don't need no money, fortune, or fame! I've got all the riches baby one man can claim!”

Still trying to hide the deep awkwardness that washes down on her, Minni maintains a smile on her face, that quivers a little when he attempts to, yet again, grab her hand and get her to dance along. Without standing up, as the freckled girl just wants to make herself as unnoticeable as possible, she lets Rocco wiggle her arm. He doesn’t seem to be aware of how weird he is being, and that this could be possibly embarrassing to his partner, who is keeping her cool just because she doesn’t want to make him feel bad. Minerva reckons that he’s just trying extra hard to get her attention, despite her having said ‘guys usually serenade me after dates’ as an obvious joke— she can’t help but take the hint that Rocco doesn’t get her banter.

“I've got sunshine on a cloudy day! With... my girl!” The curly-haired Islander keeps going, and doesn’t seem to have intentions to stop until he finishes the song, neither letting go of Minni’s arm. “My girl!” he attempts to sing the second voice with a higher and airy pitch, and ends up failing to do so, making his voice break in the process.

Although Minerva is not liking this one bit, she pushes herself to appreciate Rocco’s efforts. A genuine giggle escapes her mouth, at the thought of how strange this must look to the rest of the Islanders, this also helping her to abstract from the situation and forget that she’s also the centre of all the unwanted attention.

“Talkin' 'bout, talkin' 'bout my girl,” Rocco keeps singing, and appears to be getting tired by the performance, actually running out of air. He finally lets go of Minni and walks over to his chair, his voice quieter now as he chants. Trying to be smooth, he sways his leg over, his foot landing on the chair with intentions to end up in a sexy pose, but slips a bit and loses some balance. Right after steadying with the help of his hand grabbing strongly the tablecloth, he pulls out one of his characteristic smoulders and says the last words of the song in a deeper voice than before, attempting to sound like a baritone. “My girl... woaaaaaaaah.”

Not knowing what to do and feeling the Islanders’ stares fixed on them, Minni purses her lips into a thin smile and claps a couple of times amongst the silence. She waits for Rocco to sit down to return to eat her cereal, when she notices that he used her spoon for his act and threw it somewhere across the lawn as he sang. Not saying anything, Minni just sighs and decides to move on to eat some toast. She offers a calm smile to an agitated Rocco, not an ounce of rejection in her features, but feeling utterly awkward deep down.

After the interruption is over, Chloe slowly turns back to face Dicky, who is already rolling his eyes at what’s just happened, and she develops an evident cringe face over her facial muscles. The cellist doesn’t know what’s worse: her poor well-trained ears having to tolerate such terrible notes from that man or receiving second-hand embarrassment for pulling a ridiculous number in front of everyone. Luckily, Minni seems to be fine, even after all that awkwardness.

Chloe’s dark eyebrows levitate, creating a bit of wrinkle to her forehead and tries to distract herself by poking her fork against the unfinished pancake. “Wow,” she mouths out a harsh whisper, feeling a bit of pity for her freckled friend to indulge Rocco’s behaviour.

There’s an awful silence still lingering after the uncomfortable performance, some distant coughs and reserved chuckles coming from other tables. Surely, no one was expecting any sort of entertainment coming from Rocco, not even his partner, who returns to try to talk enthusiastically about science to forget about it all.

**At the lawn – Afternoon. **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkYwLwBSa34)****

The Villa’s lawn is quiet as everyone has retired to take naps or to have calm chats after this morning’s compelling brunch. All the Islanders are scattered, separated in small groups, small chatter being the only that resonates besides the usual birds and some splashes in the pool. With heavy footsteps, Dicky walks towards the sun loungers and lets himself fall on top of one of them, a lazy and moody groan escaping his throat. The mechanic stretches his large frame, his toned abs clenching slightly while he brings one of his arms to the back of his head. Sluggishly, his big hand reaches the visor of his backwards cap and turns it around to shield his sight, as he prepares to take a nap like most of the Islanders.

He’s just closing his green-hazel eyes behind his dark sunglasses, when he hears a small splash and then a silky, soft voice calling him from the pool.

“Hey, Dicky.”

At first, he doesn’t answer, and just opens his eyes to see Minerva getting out of the pool and walking in his direction. Her petite body is wet with pool water, small droplets sliding down her tender curves. Jason feels his sight scanning her up and down involuntarily, taking special notice of the way her milky-white skin glistens with this afternoon’s sunlight. Surely, the Chathamite feels thankful for having his sunglasses on, to prevent her from noticing him checking her out like that.

Scrunching her damp hair with one small towel, Minni takes light steps towards the brunet man, whose face is unreadable as of now. She guesses that he might have dozed off already.

“Are you sleeping?” she whispers tenderly, as she grabs her towel that is placed neatly on the sun lounger next to him.

“Now I’m not, thanks for that,” Dicky responds, cranky, followed by a small grunt. Not knowing how to deal with his unwanted crush on her, he guesses it’s best for him to keep some distance and hide behind his usual asshole self, maintaining his poker face being his best skill for this kind of situations. “What do you want?”

A bit taken aback by the escalation of his typical grumpiness, Minni blinks a couple of times before deciding to take a peaceful approach. “I wanted to ask you something,” she starts.

Since this morning’s bedroom argument, she has been quite worried about Gary; she realized that, besides him lying about kissing Marisol and all he said next being out of order, something Minni reckons is so unlike him, he appeared to be a bit desperate for escaping the small argument that erupted after that whole ordeal. The blue-eyed girl has been thinking about the crane operator and trying to figure out what could have made his chill and light-hearted persona react like that, so she can find a way to help him somehow, all before approaching him because she doesn’t want to seem too meddling. When she came to no conclusion, she decided to ask his best mate about it. Now, she’s determined to get some insight out of him— if she must deal with Jason’s bad temper to find out, then so be it.

Curious by the way the physics student responds, as he was expecting her just to make fun of him for being moody, Dicky decides to pay more attention to what she wants to say. He proceeds to take off his sunglasses, his green-hazel glare now looking directly at her deep cobalt blue irises.

“Go on.”

Feeling content by having convinced him to chat, Minni sits down on the lounger where her towel was placed and begins drying her skin in a delicate way. Dicky follows her smalls hands briefly, before focusing back on her face when she starts speaking.

“You know, this morning Gary got a bit pissed off by Lottie calling him out and because of that entire bedroom situation, and then he stormed off…” the brunette girl trails off as she tries to explain. “And you went to talk to him afterwards, so I wanted to know how he is doing after all that. I kinda wanted to go get him too when he walked away, but I didn’t want to look too nosey.”

Once he has listened to her, Jason’s first reaction is to think about telling her that it’s none of her business, but then he realizes that this bird truly _cares_ about his mate, kindness and preoccupation ever so present in her features. He stares at her for a couple of seconds, the way she pays attention to what he is going to say next leaving him out of words for a moment.

“He’s alright now,” the mechanic begins answering. “The lad got hot-headed because he felt that Lottie was unnecessarily going at him, and because he knew that he messed up badly by lying about having kissed Marisol. I reckon he was proper embarrassed by it, if I’m honest.”

“So he’s well now?” the girl says hopeful, her eyes twinkling by knowing that Gary seems to be okay. She guesses that he might not need her help after all, but she still has to make sure about that. After Dicky responds with an affirmative grunt, she decides to ask, “Do you think I should still try to talk to him just in case he needs someone else to talk to?”

Yet again, the brunet man replies with a growl, this time shrugging dismissively as he smooths his dark beard with the palm of his hand. He seems not to be interested on speaking to the freckled girl anymore, when in reality he’s just trying to cut the chat because he’s starting to feel that, the more he talks to her, the more he gets charmed by her charismatic and soft personality, and the weirder and more confused he feels for having taken a liking to a girl who is definitely not the type of person he has fancied before. Despite this, and especially now that he’s around her, Jason feels most of his negativity being replaced by a light airiness.

His closed off attitude makes Minni sigh, her stubbornness pulling her towards not letting go of the conversation just yet. “Are you really answering with just grunts?” she exhales, calmly placing her bright yellow towel on top of the lounger and lying down on her side to look at the dark-haired mechanic.

Sensing her attentive blue irises resting on him, Dicky shifts slightly, wanting to meet her gaze. He fidgets with his sunglasses and responds with another uninterested grumble.

Despite the physics student having a seemingly endless patience, his answer makes her roll her eyes. “I’m sure your girlfriends _loved_ that attitude of yours,” she comments, sarcastic and with a defeated voice tone.

Now that the brunette girl is considering leaving it and going back to swim at the pool, she takes one last look at Jason. Instantly, her sight notices a sudden change of attitude in him, as he appears to start making a big effort of avoiding eye contact and hiding behind the visor of his cap. He looks like he is going to say something, so Minni waits for him to decide to speak.

“I’ve… I, um— I’ve never had a girlfriend, actually,” the Chatham man says, his jaw tensing instantly and his masculine voice deepening.

Dicky is not often one to be ashamed of his dating history, but he understands that not having experience in long-term relationships at his age could be a huge red flag for girls. Although the mechanic has plenty of success with birds, they don’t stick around for too long, his usual bad mood, sarcastic responses and constant mocking not resulting appealing to them in the long run. His love life is full of just first dates and one-night stands; his numbers are quite high because of this, almost triplicating his age as of now. Still, and even though he’s worried that this fact about him could hurt his chances of being considered as a potential partner by Minni, he felt that he had to be honest about it, since she mentioned the topic.

His statement makes Minni tilt her head to one side, curious. “Are you bantering me?” She asks, perplexed for a moment.

“Why would I joke about that?” He huffs at her, his stare fixed on the sunglasses that he has between his large fingers.

With her cobalt eyes not leaving his face, despite not being able to establish eye contact on his end, the young woman senses him oddly ashamed, his often unreadable features showing tension. He sets his jaw, persistent on not meeting her gaze, probably ready to be judged, Minni reckons. She doesn’t think it’s too big of a deal for him to be so timid about it.

Taken aback by her silence, Jason briefly darts his look towards her. It surprises him to see no negative reaction on the brunette girl’s end, not even a shocked or scornful expression. Instead, she’s just staring at him like she’s expecting him to add something more, or simply waiting for him to feel _comfortable_ about what he just said.

As he watches her blinking a couple of times, Dicky reminds himself that he’s noticed Minni is a person who takes people as they come, who tends to accept them the way they are. He’s seen her trying to teach Bobby how to flirt, but he is sure that she wouldn’t have judged the pastry chef if he was ever going to try his awful seducing techniques with her; the mechanic thinks that she only helped the Scottish to correct them because he asked to, because he wanted her help, not because she thought there was something utterly wrong with how he approaches girls. Now he also remembers this morning, when Rocco made a cringe-worthy scene at brunch and tried to serenade her in front of everyone; despite being in an embarrassing situation, there wasn’t rejection, less outrage in Minni’s expression— she just laughed it off. This is why, the brunet man concludes, she is so easy to talk to and why everyone is always fawning all over her. And there he is, being all cranky and trying to push such a nice girl away.

On the other hand, Dicky is used to nit-picking and pointing out stuff he doesn’t like on people or evident flaws, all the time and before anything else. It’s a habit that is engraved on his personality as of now and it’s one of the reasons why he is so closed off and distrusting with others, especially girls. Is not that he thinks everyone is awful, but it just takes minor mishaps for him to distance himself more and more.

“Oh, alright,” Minni decides to speak then, since the mechanic doesn’t say anything else after a while. “And why do you think that is?” she asks kindly, a curious tint in her voice.

“What are you now, a therapist?” the hazel-eyed man spits, in a desperate attempt to put his walls up. The fact that it is so easy for Minerva to put his barriers down makes him feel vulnerable, an emotion he’s not used to experience. But at the same time, he is eager to know how it would feel to open up to someone like that. Perhaps this kind of sensations is what his body only interpreted as a gut feeling, which drove him to want to pick her at yesterday’s Recoupling. But now that said idea didn’t work, he is set to keep himself defensive, not wanting to risk catching feelings for the freckled girl if she will never see him in a romantic way anyway.

Regardless of Jason pushing himself to be as mean as possible just to scare Minni away, an uneasy weight settles on his chest when he notices her reaction. At first, her big, bright eyes acquire a perplexed expression and the corners of her plumped, pink lips fall. Then, her eyebrows knit together, in a frown that is not the usual pouty scowl he finds so cute, but a more serious one, and her gaze turns into a glare, the same one she had when he was trying to further his argument with Lottie this morning. That glare made him stop on his tracks back then, and now it makes him realize that he screwed up. And, more than anger or irritation, he sees disappointment in her delicate features. Strangely enough, and so unlike his attitude of not caring if he hurts other people’s feelings, it quite aches him to have caused this.

“Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to…” The grumpy mechanic stutters, followed by a long exhale, not knowing what to do. He’s never been good with expressing himself, less by using words and even less when apologizing for something.

“It’s alright, Jason,” Minni dismisses. She is surely offended and displeased by his reaction, but she won’t be confrontational about it. The delicate young woman shifts on the lounger, now sitting in an upright position, far less comfortable than she was before. In this moment and considering that he is getting on her nerves, not in the way she enjoys with their jokey banter, but in a way that she feels is aimed to hurt her feelings, she just thinks that it’s best to explain her intentions on her question before finally going away. She won’t let a lad be mean to her like this, as she reckons that now he’s not being unkind in a witty or funny way. “I just wanted to know because you sounded quite bummed out when you mentioned it,” she continues, turning around with intentions of retrieving her towels. “Sometimes it just helps to talk about it, even if it doesn’t solve much.”

Just then, Dicky notices that she is preparing to walk away. He purses his lips, fighting with his desire for her to stay, despite that a stubborn part of him urges him to put more and more walls between them to keep intact the armour he’s had around him all these years. Finally, he gives in.

“Well… maybe it’s because birds don’t stay around for too long,” he blurts out, the quiet volume of his voice indicating honesty.

Minni almost imperceptibly stops gathering her things and slowly settles back on the lounger, internally staggered by his change of attitude and sincere declaration. She is puzzled on why girls wouldn’t want to be around Jason, if he’s such a handsome lad and so fun to hang out with, despite being prickly and overall grumpy— perhaps it’s because of the same reasons why she was just about to leave. The physics student is not quite sure about it, so she decides to ask.

“Why?”

Having gained her attention back makes Dicky sigh of relief internally. A small warm feeling grows in his belly, until he realizes that now he must keep talking. And, yet again, he surprises himself once more: he wants to keep talking.

It just takes a few seconds for the bearded brunet to figure out his answer. “Because I don’t open up, I guess,” he says, his gaze going back and forth between the blue-eyed girl sitting at his side and the sunglasses he is clutching in his hands, in an attempt to have something to relieve the tension with.

Because of his surprising and unexpected shyness on the topic, Minni gains a new kind of curiosity towards this chat, her evident empath side being even more present now, so she decides to stay, after all. She adjusts her purple bikini and settles back on her respective lounger, lying on her side again to take a better look at him.

“Have you been hurt before? Is that why it’s hard for you to open up?” she asks, concerned, and after a short silence between the pair.

Once more, Dicky feels her comforting and warm sight resting on him. The truth is, nobody has even reached out to Jason enough to even hurt him. He’s just always been like this and has always struggled on expressing himself when it comes to deep emotions, especially when they’re exceedingly positive ones. His back tenses, as he debates with himself on whether or not he should, or even could, talk to Minni about this topic. Soon, he feels his barriers coming back up, keeping her from accessing his real emotions and thoughts.

Inevitably, the mechanic shields himself with a scowl. “Argh, forget it,” he says, followed by a sigh.

Noticing his mildly open approach fading all of the sudden, the brunette girl is left confused, “Wait, why? We were talking just fine.”

“Nah, I’m being silly,” he grunts. “It’s all rubbish, honestly.”

In this situation, Minni really feels like she should just leave it be, but now that she got a small taste of what Jason looks like when he tries to open up to someone, she can’t just let that go. It’s like she can’t get enough of how unbounded honesty sounds combined with his deep voice and how his green eyes flicker towards her when he’s about to confess something. Although the young girl understands that she might be coming off as pushy, she has the idea to get him talking, at least a bit more, to see if she can be of any help, settled on her mind— and it’s evident as of now that Minni is not one to give up easily.

“Alright. I’ll just lie here and make you company, then,” she simply says, turning to pick her sunglasses and water bottle to make an unspoken statement. After putting on her matching pair of purply tinted sunglasses, she moves to rest on her back, sunlight heating her smooth and fair skin.

Not knowing if it’s her stubbornness or kind patience that has her staying, Dicky just stares at her as she makes herself comfortable. Minni senses his deep glare following her every move and feels somewhat flustered about it. She still finds Jason so fit and attractive, but the fact that he’s Chloe’s partner and things seem to be going so well between the older pair has her easily shrugging off the feeling, labelling him as nothing more than a mate. She could never see him in any other way when having in mind that he’s coupled up with her best friend in here. Besides, the physics student has just coupled up with Rocco and is still trying to figure out where to place her relationship with Gary in all of this, so let alone she’s considering adding another boy to the mix.

A quick silence grows between them, whilst Dicky turns to look at the sky. Although before having Minni here he was ready to fall asleep right off the bat, now he can’t seem to even close his eyelids, being deep in thought instead. He still doesn’t know how to appear less uneasy when talking about his love life, or about feelings in general, less how to cope with how much he fancies this brunette girl. The only thing he is sure about is that there’s still things left to be said. 

“I’ve not been hurt,” he declares, out of the blue. “I’ve always been closed off like this, actually. That’s just how I am.”

The blue-eyed girl grins internally at the knowledge that she got him talking again in no time. Sliding her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and playing it cool, she turns to him and gifts a cheeky look. “I have noticed,” she responds with a small giggle.

Her light-hearted response causes a chuckle to grumble in Dicky’s chest. He takes a moment to maintain eye contact, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders the more she sinks into the blue pools of her irises before she puts her sunglasses back in place. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m open about lots of things, like my opinions, my job, about my life back home, but not with deep feelings,” he begins speaking, words spilling from his mouth so easily all of the sudden. The mechanic stretches over the sun lounger, leaving his sunglasses to one side and putting his hands to rest on the back of his head, his stare now focusing on the cloudless sky above him. “But then again, there hasn’t been a bird who has been able to make me feel… comfortable enough to get talking about how I feel, less about romantic stuff.”

With great effort, Minni manages not to appear shocked by having him pronounce more than a couple of stern or moody phrases on the matter, not a sarcastic word in them, his resonating voice suddenly being so sincere that it pulls unexpected strings attached to her heart, causing it to flutter. The Cantabrigian reckons that he looks pretty comfortable right now but won’t point it out in fear of him becoming shy about it and closing off again. While maintaining her sweet look on him, she finds herself enjoying this quite chatty version of Jason.

Deep in thought, Dicky can’t help but realize that, if he finds a girl who he feels comfortable enough to open up to and get talking about romance and his emotions, not because he _has to_ but because he _wants to,_ that could be a good pointer on her being _the one_. Not that he believes in all that rubbish of soulmates or finding the perfect girl, but he would like to have a partner who makes him feel that way.

Abruptly, he is aware of a certain freckled physics student lying on the sun lounger beside him, and soon he realizes that he has talked too much again. Luckily, Minni decides to speak next. 

“Well, not everyone finds expressing their feelings easy or having it come naturally, so don’t feel like what you experience is something uncommon. I’ve seen people being always closed off like you, and others close off just in certain situations or scenarios,” she explains kindly, in an attempt to reassure him and debunk his possible idea of being the odd one out of the bunch for not being able to express himself well. “Anyway, it’s not weird or necessarily a bad thing. I reckon it’s to protect ourselves when we feel vulnerable in some way.”

It could be said that Minerva’s understanding of this type of situations comes from her own experience, even if she doesn’t identify it as such. Plenty of people back home and already some in the Villa would describe the blue-eyed girl as ‘calm’ and ‘chill’. If she’s upset, she won’t make a scene. If she’s sad, she will try not to cry in public. Most of the time, it’s just a product of how she is— she’s a chill, laidback girl. But there’s a thin layer behind all of that, one few have come to notice about her: she has been used to restrain her negative emotions since she was a child, and, as any other person who is very open on her positive feelings and bottles up their negative emotions, she will usually go to great lengths to ensure that no matter what she may be feeling or going through, she keeps her composure and a smile on her face. Not that her chill attitude is all an act, but when she feels upset she doesn’t let anyone know. Right now, in this very moment, she doesn’t notice that she’s speaking to a man whose only emotions that are easy for him to display are negative ones.

The young woman’s reassuring words surprise Dicky to a great extent, just like that one time in which she gave Bobby an insight of why he shouldn’t change himself in order to graft a bird. When she speaks like this, the Chatham man has the sensation that, despite her always being bubbly and giggly, she could be far sounder than what she is supposed to be at her young age, and can’t help but wonder why that is. Perhaps these outbursts of advice and support are only meant to be noticed in times like this and are mostly overlooked, as they tend to be overshadowed by her never-ending cheeky and peacekeeping personality.

 _Vulnerable_ , is the word she used, and that’s exactly what Jason is afraid of experiencing in front of anyone, ever. Coming to the realization that Minni might be succeeding on reaching out again, her words being too accurate, the brunet man feels his small smile becoming a poker face as he tries to return to his grumpy façade, feeling somehow busted. He resorts to responding with a cranky hum, scratching the back of his head.

Rather than interpreting his answer as him closing off again, Minni begins overthinking and guesses that her reassuring words might not have worked at all, just because he must be genuinely embarrassed for not having had a girlfriend before, or for not being able to open up easily to people, maybe even comparing himself to other and feeling like he’s defective in some way; this possibilities cause profound worrisome to surge on her chest.

“Does that make you feel that there’s something wrong with you? I mean, not having had a girlfriend before?” she asks cautiously.

Despite the sweetness of her tone, Dicky’s eyebrows stitch together instinctively, his brain being already on full-on prickly mode again and instantly looking for a dismissive answer— but nothing comes to mind. Instead, his body goes against his will, his head turning to meet Minni’s blue orbs. 

“Not exactly,” he replies shortly. Still, he understands where she’s coming from, what made her think that he is being hard on himself because of his situation. Needless to say, he knows that not being able to get emotionally intimate with someone has been mainly because of his fault and character, but that is not what concerns him the most. His issue with not having had a long relationship, or a relationship at all, is that he sometimes feels like there’s things he should’ve experienced as of yet, like introducing a girl to his mum or the rest of his family, going out on more than a second date, or maybe even traveling together; Dicky feels like he’s been missing out on those kind of things.

Minni takes his response as a positive sign, a friendly smile stretching her plush lips, reaching the corners of her bright eyes. “Good,” she says. “Because there is nothing wrong with you.”

The simplicity of her kind words ignites a hushed warmth inside Jason’s chest. This time, the mechanic doesn’t even notice his walls crumbling down. A sheepish and quite shy smile forms in his tough features, harsh green-hazel eyes softening in a second, “Thanks… for that.”

Once Minni’s smile seems to widen, her freckled nose scrunching slightly at the gesture, his heart dangerously flutters. The raven-haired Chathamite forgets about keeping his attraction towards her under wraps for a moment, too charmed to even bother with the idea that he couldn’t pick her at yesterday’s Recoupling and that there’s a high chance that she could never throw away the idea of him being just a friend. 

“Don’t mention it,” she easily responds, her eyelashes batting with content as she mentally pats herself on the back for being able to make him feel at least a bit better.

The silence between the two resumes, with it being comfortable and tranquil. The brunette girl turns to lie on her stomach now and buries her face between her arms, feeling like the conversation has already ended on a good note, until she senses Dicky’s gaze not leaving her since he said his most recent words. Curious by the way he is behaving in this very moment, the physics student moves so she is now using her arms as a pillow, returning the stare. At first, she thinks of making a joke on him looking at her like that, but she decides that it’s better to keep the chat going now that she finally got him speaking.

“So, if you haven’t had a girlfriend, does it mean that you haven’t said _the three words_ either?” she asks next, paying special attention to the candid aspect his sight has acquired and noticing that he hasn’t lost this tough and somewhat unapproachable halo that surrounds his personality.

Having her asking questions again snaps Dicky out of his mildly thunderstruck state and all the walls he’s built lift once more, his expression promptly becoming unreadable. The dark-haired mechanic brings a hand to scratch the stubble at his jaw. “Got it in one,” he replies briefly. He waits a bit to add, in a monotonous and unamused voice tone, “I reckon once I told a cold lasagne that I loved it, though. But that’s it.”

His last phrase makes Minni let out a short laugh. Even when he didn’t intend it to be a joke, he now wishes he was a humorous lad like Gary or Bobby, so he could pull up a few more jokes to make her laugh longer on purpose, but he can’t think of any in this very instant, so he just exhales sharply through his nostrils and quietly watches as the physics student’s cackle die down.

Her almost dry brunette waves fall briefly over her face when she shifts to place her purple sunglasses on top of her head, with intentions of looking at him directly and without any coloured shade intervening, “Now I’m curious. What’s love to you, Jason?”

Minerva’s question surely takes the grumpy mechanic by surprise. But now, more than causing him to debate with his stubborn self to maintain his barriers on speaking about emotions, it just gets him _thinking_. Dicky is sure that he’s never been in love before, and he guesses he wouldn’t believe in it if he hadn’t seen people who are close to him being in love. The brunet man even recalls Gary’s dumbfounded look and goofy smile whenever he used to look at one bird he claimed to be in love with, one of his few girlfriends. Because of this, the older Chathamite can’t deny love’s existence; he’s seen it up close, but never had the luck to experience it himself.

Enjoying the way Dicky’s handsome features change a bit when reflecting on the idea, Minni watches him attentively, not rushing him in any way. She could’ve never imagined herself chatting about these topics with none other than the crankiest, most uninterested and dismissive bloke of the entire Villa, but is glad that they’re doing this— now she thinks that he actually is quite easy to talk to, when he is not constantly trying to push her away. It’s definitely challenging, but so thrilling and rewarding at the same time.

In this moment, instead of being reluctant to keep speaking, Dicky wants to answer the blue-eyed girl’s question in the best way possible. “Love…” he mutters, pondering his response. He kind of has a concept of how it must feel, or how it must look like, and is trying to construct an idea around that. “I reckon that it’s something you don’t have control of. Maybe it is caring about someone beyond all rationality, and wanting them to be the happiest they can be and to have everything they want,” he finally says. Still, he feels there’s something missing to his definition, until he adds, “… even if it destroys you.”

The dark turn of his reply makes Minni purse her lips to contain an airy giggle from escaping. “You had to add the grim statement at the end, didn’t you?” She comments light-heartedly and with a soft smile. “That’s so _you_.”

Looking over at her, Dicky raises his thick slit eyebrow, but says nothing because she’s kind of right about what she just said. He’s crafting an equally mocking comeback when she speaks again.

“I like it,” the young woman tells him, candour in her silky voice tone. “It’s a nice vision… without the destruction part.”

The mechanic does his best to hide that he is quite pleased by having her approving his concept. “You think?” he enquires, pretending to be indifferent about it.

“Yeah, totally.” Yet again, the girl feels like the chat has ended in a good way, even better this time. So, still lying on her belly, she snuggles her face between her arms. What she is not expecting is that Jason unpredictably finds himself interested in what she has to say.

“Um… what’s— uh… what’s love to you, Minerva?” the raven-haired man hesitantly murmurs.

Minni gets taken aback by the fact that he asked the question back, since seeking other’s opinions is not something Dicky is exactly known for. Her blue eyes widen slightly in surprise and she blinks a few times, making sure that she heard correctly, before turning to her side to face him.

“I agree with you that it’s not something you have control of, that there’s not an outside force that commands it,” she begins, candidly. “Is not that you can exactly blame gravity for falling in love,” the physics student jokes and then laughs shortly at her own words.

Next to her, the mechanic rolls his eyes and puffs out a bunch of air at her awful pun, a well concealed smile tugging his lips, nonetheless. He is expecting for her to take her time to think about her answer, and is left confused at first when she doesn’t wait to start talking, not even hesitating or waiting a bit to word her statement.

“You know… you don’t love someone because they’re perfect, but because they’re perfect _for you_ ,” Minni commences, nonchalantly and with a carefree attitude. “You don’t wish to change anything from them, not the slightest bit, and you wouldn’t trade them for anything. Rather than being what you want, said person is what you _need_.” The brunette girl continues, while she casually takes the sunglasses off the top of her head and inspects them for a second. “When you’re in love, you _gift_ yourself to another person without hesitation. You give them your time, your affection, your attention, all of those things to make them feel special. And not for yourself, not because it makes _you_ happy, but because of them— because you want _them_ to be happy. There’s few better sensations than to put a smile on the face of the one you love,” she finishes, her gaze doing back at him as she offers a sunshiny smile.

In another context, Dicky would’ve laughed at her and called her speech mushy, but it makes _sense_ , her declaration is so sincere that it has finished obliterating the barriers he struggles so much on maintaining when he is by her side— just by using a bunch of phrases. Right now, Jason finds himself speechless, staring at those big, sincere cobalt blue orbs, which show nothing but raw kindness and affection that he now most positively knows he doesn’t deserve and never will, but that somehow wishes he could experience whenever he pleases, just like this. The brunet man can feel his heartbeat in his throat, which prevents him from answering with something, with _anything_.

Still, he manages to contain his unwanted adoration for this bird, taking a moment to recompose himself and close off one last time. He swallows hard and clenches his jaw, his serious features turning to the sky whereas he fights to break the eye contact. Slowly, his lips turn downwards to settle on his typical scowl.

“Talking from experience?” he asks, dryly and just to not leave her hanging.

Even when she notices that the at ease version of Dicky she managed to get out of wherever he was hiding has turned into his usual apathetic self all of the sudden, Minni maintains her positive attitude and answers his question anyway. “Not exactly. I think I’ve been on that stage with just a couple of people, at most.” Feeling that she lost quite a bit of the progress she made on making him open up, the young student decides to pull some words directly out of her heart, as a last resort, “It’s just… I think I love too much. I love my friends, my family, my career. When you love almost everything in your life, it becomes easier to talk about it, don’t you think?”

The grouchy mechanic’s breath quivers after listening to Minerva’s voice pronounce such heartfelt sentences, his sharp sight fixed on a point in the sky to protect himself from looking at her. He feels warm and soft all over, a flurry sensation filling his stomach. Stubborn and not willing to show his emotions again, Dicky lets out a lukewarm grunt as his ultimate answer, covering the top of his face by using the visor of his cap to further his statement and desperate to put more and more barriers between him and this sweet brunette. He berates himself for feeling this way, because he’s not coupled up with her at the moment and because he has convinced himself that there’s no way they could ever work romantically anyway.

Minni is quick to take the hint that she has already lost the unfeigned version of Jason she saw glimpses of. Not wanting to just leave this somewhat beautiful chat to end up with one of his growls, she keeps her head in a positive light.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone, Jason,” the blue-eyed girl says kindly, easily causing him to turn his attention back to her. “You’re proper sort and not as mean as you seem at first glance. And I’m not saying that just because I always see the best in people…” she continues. “Well maybe that helped me in this situation because one has to dig _deep down_ in that cranky shell of yours to find something _mildly nice,_ ” she teases with a smirk.

Dicky’s face doesn’t follow his brain’s orders, as a side smile appears on his lips and breaks his scowl, her teases never missing to entertain him. Then, he shakes his head in disbelief as a quiet chuckle grumbles on his throat.

The bubbly physics student giggles at his reaction, more at how she was able to effortlessly make him smile even when he was trying to _hide_. “Maybe you just need to put down your walls a little and let that person you like in,” she decides to add.

With this suggestion, she is trying to give him advice on his potential relationship with Chloe. Minni has identified the golden-eyed cellist as someone who also keeps herself enclosed, someone who at first sight looks hard to approach. The younger brunette is now worrying because of the fact that both halves of the older couple are so focused on maintaining their barriers to protect themselves from others, and that this could prevent them from reaching out to each other and form a romantic bond. But at the same time, Minni reckons that getting them to trust someone it’s not too hard, though, considering that she easily befriended Chloe in the first day and got her to open up, despite the other girl being a bit distant at the beginning, and that now she got Dicky talking about his feelings even if it was just for a split second. The Cambridge student is oblivious that making people soften right away is a special trait of hers, this being the reason why she won Chloe’s and Dicky’s appreciation in no time, when few people can.

Now Minni is not sure if the relationship Dicky and Chloe could have would work if none of them takes a step back and lets the other one completely in, but the blue-eyed girl wishes them the best and is determined to keep rooting for them, because she just wants to see her friends happy.

Even though his bad-tempered character pushes him to cut the conversation, Dicky still wants to respond to her. Besides, he doesn’t want to be an asshole to her now, not when she so kindly spilled reassuring words— he’s not heartless. “After this chat… I reckon I will,” he says. “When the time comes and with the right person, though. I have to trust her first.”

His sentence makes Minni pause for a moment, considering something. “Well, now that I think about it, you tend to trust no one, and everyone tells me that I trust too soon,” she says after a while. “Perhaps if we teamed up we could make an amazingly balanced judge of character,” the young woman giggles at the concept.

Her warm-hearted attitude, that hasn’t quavered during this chat, makes Dicky feel lighter. He hisses out a small laugh yet again when he ponders the idea. “Maybe,” the moody mechanic replies, quirking one of his dark eyebrows and meeting her big blue orbs. “I could tell you why they’re so awful while you sugar coat everything like you always do and tell me all the good things about them.”

“Sounds about right.” The brunette girl swiftly puts on her purple sunglasses, and offers a light-hearted smile.

While he stares at her smiling at him like that, Jason can’t help but to admit that he will never get tired of seeing Minerva looking at him this way, even if it hurts him to know that the thought of romancing him the way he would want it to be has probably never crossed her mind. Yesterday he was ready to follow his gut feeling and just go for it, but now that he has seen how much the girl is cheering for him to work with Chloe, his only option for now is to backpedal and wonder what it could have been. Nonetheless, after having experienced this conversation with her, he is still considering enjoying Minni’s company as much as he can, now feeling a bit more comfortable with the idea of burying his crush deep down for the sake of getting to know her anyway.

“Alright, enough of this deep chat. Would you like to join me in the pool?” The freckled girl interrupts the Chatham man’s trail of thought with her question.

“Nah, I’m good,” he rejects rapidly, adjusting his cap over his brunet hair. The girl stays silent for a moment, waiting; she doesn’t even have to put her classic puppy eyes, that are bound to convince him straight away, because, this time, Dicky gives in just when making proper eye contact for a few seconds. He sighs, hating himself for not being able to turn her down. “Okay, fine. Bloody hell,” the brunet man mutters under his breath, rolling his eyes and trying to sound uninterested.

Minni beams, not thinking much of how effortlessly she is able to persuade him. She rolls to lie on her back and then jumps up. She proceeds to take off her sunglasses while Dicky gets rid of his cap.

“I reckon I can make a bigger splash than you,” the student teases, looking back at him as she walks the few meters that separate the loungers from the pool.

First, Jason frowns at her, and next he sneers a sardonic grin. “No way. You’re like two feet tall.”

Oddly enough, the blue-eyed girl just laughs mockingly at him. Without waiting for the mechanic’s answer to that, Minerva runs and launches herself into a cannonball, landing with a huge splash. Dicky shakes his head in disbelief at how much water she actually managed to spatter despite her small frame and has no option but to follow suit.

**In the Villa - Afternoon. **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MnyyOY5ZTY)****

Some time after brunch, Gary roams around the Villa to notice all of the Islanders taking it easy and dozing off under the strong sun rays. Stepping away from the blazing Spanish heat, the blond spiky-haired man enters the empty living room and slumps his heavy body on the cushioned couch. He heavily sighs after such a failed brunch with Marisol. As much as he tried to ease up a chat with her, it always ended up with forced short answers. 

He’s able to relax for a few seconds without the disturbance of anyone, until a pair of soft footsteps echo in the room. Gary lifts his head to spot a stunning petite woman gracefully walking his opposite direction. He instantly pushes himself off his seat and without putting much thought into it and calls out to her.

“Chloe!” Gary says loud enough for her head to turn and offers a welcoming smile over at him. 

Just as she guides herself towards the brawny blond, he takes the opportunity to admire her chic swimwear. She displays herself in an expensive-looking dark brown two-piece swimsuit with high waisted bottoms that hug the light curves of her hips and a wrap-around top that comes around her neck. She never seems to fail when it comes to making an impression, especially if he’s around to fully admire. 

In no time, Chloe is now standing in front of Gary and can’t help but notice the exhaustion drained on his features. “Hey, stranger,” she playfully greets him and raises a curious eyebrow. “What are you doing here? Everyone’s out in the lawn.” 

He gives her a strained smile but doesn’t necessarily answer her question. Instead, he steps a bit closer to her and let’s a frown downturn his full lips. “Do you mind if I have a word with you? In private?” Gary cautiously asks, wondering if she’ll reject him now when noticing her vibrant amber look blinking at the random question. 

“Um, sure? Has something happened, Gary?” Chloe mirrors a similar frown, interested to know if something is troubling him. Normally, he’s quite the optimistic and easy-going man, but right now she’s seeing a more serious side to Gary and she’s not used to it.

His thumb frantically swipes over a thick eyebrow to the Londoner’s question, debating whether to respond truthfully or cover it up like he always does with others. He looks down at her to distinguish Chloe’s worrisome softening over her unique lemon-coloured orbs, and just with how loving her gaze steadies on him, it gives Gary the confidence to be honest with his feelings for once. 

“Actually, yeah. Something’s happened and I’m wondering if I can get your input,” he answers sincerely, with the same frown hanging loosely from the corners of his mouth.

Although the crane operator waits patiently for her upcoming response, his insides churn, already anticipating her rejection. At first, he considered speaking to Minerva about his dilemma, but then remembered how quiet Chloe was when everyone was throwing their darts at him, and the image of her avoiding his eyes kept disturbing him until the point of feeling the urgency to know what she thinks of him now, after he’s messed up in front of her.

The dark-haired musician tilts her chin, only growing more curious to what Gary’s wanting to chat about. She finally nods, accepting of his request. “I suppose we can talk,” she assuredly says with a faint smile barely outlining the apples of her cheeks. 

“Great!” he coolly says, with a glimmer swaying across his pupils, pleased to hear such a simple sentence come out of the elegant woman. He looks out the threshold and realizes that there’s snoozing Islanders scattered around the outdoors. Next, his attention comes back to Chloe, her stare always remaining on him, “I’d like to do it somewhere a little more private, though. I’m not one for secrets, but I can’t have the others hear us.”

Her observant eyes lightly squint at a trait she’s seeing a frequency from him: keeping secrets. The cellist doesn’t want to think much about it, but just last night he asked her to keep quiet about doing facial masks. Even if it’s quite an innocent task, she respects his wishes of not mentioning it to anyone. And now Gary’s asking her to speak privately, most likely wanting her to keep quiet about it again. Admittedly, ever since this morning’s exposure of the blond’s lies, Chloe’s grown a bit uncertain of Dicky’s friend. Until now, she’s concluded how mysterious of a character Gary really is, even when he carries an approachable lad demeanour. 

Just then, the crane operator notices there’s minimally one person in every corner and no room for the isolation he’s looking for. They could stay here in the living room, but there’s always someone coming in and out of the door. The burly muscled blond cracks a smile with an idea enlightening him; he’s got the perfect spot to chat with the dazzling golden-eyed girl.

“Fancy a quick workout in the gym?” Gary suggests. 

Chloe is quick to give him an unsure look, her lips pressing together trying to find the idea of working out plausible, but fails. It’s never really been her kind of thing. She reluctantly sighs. “Not really, if I’m honest but I can give it a try,” she apathetically shrugs off the upcoming task in contrast to Gary’s immediate keen grin. 

After a short walk, they finally arrive at the gym and the blond tattooed man is quick to amble over to an empty bench with dumbbells laid nearby. _Perfect_ , he thinks. The crane operator feels sure that no one would be using the gym after stuffing their faces with a heavy breakfast. 

Just as Gary picks up one of the lighter weights and tests them out for the hazel-eyed woman, he scans his surroundings and doesn’t see the cellist player anymore. For a second, his heart drops to his stomach, thinking she might’ve abandoned him, and regrets ever taking his proposal, but as he twists his toned torso, the petite brunette is finally spotted. She’s noticeably distant when entering the gym with a heavy pout at the sight of the intimidating machines. Quite frankly, it's a place she’s tried to avoid ever since arriving at the Villa.

“Alright, slowcoach, get on the bench. I’ll give you a brief workout while we chat,” Gary up nods the unimpressed instrumentalist, who’s just standing there with her arms folded over her chest. He can’t help but curl his lips into an amused grin. Although blond can tell that working out isn’t a preferable activity of hers, he deeply appreciates her not bailing out.

“Oh, hun. You’re really pushing my limits here, but fine,” she defeatedly sighs and makes her way over to the blue-eyed Islander.

Chloe obeys by sitting on the bench and stretches her hands out to instantly feel the heavy weights challenging her strength. She tries to keep a soft squeal from blurting out of her mouth, but clearly hears Gary having a light-hearted chuckle at her struggling. Because of this, the dark-haired girl gently glares over at the bearded man and corners her mouth into an annoyed frown. Without saying anything, the bulky Chathamite then comes closer to Chloe, his hands now supporting some of the weight and guides a few simple reps.

The muscled man silently focuses on the dumbbells and Chloe intriguingly looks over at him, curiosity heightens to know what he’s brought her here for. Surely, it’s not just to gain a nonessential workout buddy.

“So, what did you want to tell me, Gary?” Chloe gently asks, her voice nothing but a lovely melody to his ears.

Her initiating the chat surely eases him to introduce the topic, so he clears his throat, preparing himself to expose one of the worries he’s stored in his chest all day. The blond man can’t explain why, but there's this indescribable comfort he feels whenever he’s around Chloe, almost like a sense of authenticity and trust— just like last night at the daybeds. 

“It’s about Marisol…” Gary murmurs out his confession with a dry exhale. His sharp breath symbolises how much the situation keeps bothering him, “I know I got hot-headed this morning. I’m worried I’ve made a right fool of myself.”

Chloe’s brown eyebrows thoughtfully lower as she ponders conflictingly on how to approach the matter. She absolutely believes that his behaviour this morning was inexcusable and can’t blame Marisol for having second thoughts on him, but hearing his deep voice with such sincere regret yields her from being too harsh on the bloke. 

“You also lied about kissing her,” she adds the most important part of the situation, wanting him to understand how wrong he was to not only blatantly lie but to parade himself about it. 

It’s almost immediate when the London beauty lightly winces after she utters her words out in their shared air. Hopefully, her sincerity doesn’t pull a nerve on the spiky-haired man, considering that she doesn’t completely know Gary, or knows how exactly he’ll react when hearing the unfiltered truth. 

A bit of anxiety levitates on Chloe’s face when Gary extends the silence between the two. The absence of sound worries her and wishes she could take back that plain sentence. Assuming he’s asked for a comforting chat, she thinks she’s off to a bad start.

The hazel-eyed Islander has never been naturally good at comforting people, unlike Minni, especially when it’s someone she is just getting to know. Which brings her to wonder why Gary hasn’t pulled the astrophysics student for a chat about this instead. It would make more sense for the young freckled girl to be in her place, precisely when the former blue-eyed couple seemed to be growing closer each given time they’d interact. 

Then, Gary stops supporting the weights from the young musician’s hands and makes her yelp out the overwhelming weight of the dumbbells overpowering her feeble hands.

“Gary!” Chloe distressingly calls out to him for help. 

“Huh?” The crane operator scrunches his nose, a bit disoriented, until he realises he’s no longer supporting the cellist’s weights. 

His light blue eyes widen to see the brunette beauty scrambling her slim fingers with the workout accessories. Without any effort, the blond man picks up the weights and sets them to the side, giving her an abashed smile at his negligence. He hadn’t noticed how badly he spaced out at the recent memory of this morning retracing in his head. 

After that interruption, the muscular man sits beside Chloe and heaves out a long, broken sigh. He briskly turns his attention solely to her now, making sure he doesn’t get side-tracked again. “Sorry… I was distracted by what you said,” he says whilst shaking his head to this issue he’s caused himself.

He looks down at his dark-coloured swim trunks, his pale masculine fingers tracing the hem of his shorts. Gary bravely lifts his head to eventually meet Chloe’s sweet gaze. Deep blue eyes level with her hazel-golden ones, almost radiating more warmth than the sun over their heads. 

“I’ll admit that Marisol wasn’t my first choice. I was kind of holding off for someone else…” Gary’s voice goes slightly timid at the end when he realises what he’s just said to Chloe. He attempts to remain cool, but his insides race in pure adrenaline; this is definitely not the way he wants her to know he’s been fancying her. Quite frankly, it will only make things awkward if she finds out, especially when she’s his best mate’s partner. 

The older brunette curiously tilts her head to distinguish his evident discomfort to their chat. Her big light brown-amber irises intently travel to analyse how tense his handsome facial muscles clench over his upset face. Chloe concludes to herself that he’s still upset about Minerva, and nothing but pure sympathy washes over her shoulders. Perhaps that entire scene he’s done this morning was his poor attempt to catch her younger friend’s attention and it concluded with a terrible impression, nonetheless. 

In this moment, Gary wants to look away, but the posh-looking Londoner carries such a hypnotic aura, almost like she can see right through his vulnerability and thoroughly read his true feelings about her. Now wanting to avoid her nurturing stare, he blue-eyed Chathamite runs his hand over his golden locks. He proceeds to continue his chat about Marisol, hoping it will serve as a reliant distraction, and makes the immense effort to dismiss a bloody tug that strings in his wide chest every time Chloe shoots him a small smile, beautiful enough to disorientate his train of thought. 

“But I was still happy when I got to pick her, and then we were in bed… she wasn’t interested in doing anything, but I kept hearing the others. I guess I just wanted to believe that we had more than a little peck.” Gary shakes his head ashamed of his own actions and admits how much of a knobhead he was this morning. “I really like Marisol…" he finishes his statement, already feeling slightly better telling someone his side of the story. 

When listening to him, Chloe lowers her head, her stare lingering on her bare knees, and soaks in everything Gary’s told her. She keeps her head position in place and, after a while, she lifts her look to view the muscular Islander silently gulping in his daunting predicament. Her full lips barely part, permitting a stiff sigh to sneak out of her mouth, “Look, what you’ve done _was_ out of order, Gary,” she scolds him with a serious frown, soon enough to notice how the blue-eyed man disappointingly nods in agreement.

Taking a quick pause to ease in a softer approach and lightly biting her bottom lip, Chloe remembers how unfairly he was treated by Lottie at the end. Cornering him like that only caused an outburst from the poor lad, and she can’t really blame him for storming out of the room; hell, she probably would’ve done the same. “… But, I can understand that everyone’s emotions were running high. Last night was pretty intense and it’s only been the morning after sending someone home,” she gently annotates, her slim fingers lightly drumming against her toned thighs. 

Then, Chloe leans a bit closer and carefully raises her eyebrows at what she’ll add to her lecture, giving Gary a knowing look. “Might I suggest apologising to Marisol, if you haven’t already,” she sincerely suggests, making sure he comprehends that what he’s done is still considered inappropriate. 

Gary listens carefully to every single word from Chloe’s advice and intently nods. “You’re right, Chloe. I’ve made myself look like a complete arse,” he huffs out a frustrated groan when he begins to remember his nan telling him that she’ll be watching him on the telly, “My nan’s probably watching this and shaking her head.”

The poised brunette flickers her curved dark lashes whilst imagining an older woman scolding her grandson through her telly screen. With all honesty, she can’t really blame Gary’s nan for getting upset after what he’s done in a national programme. What does matter is that the younger blond acknowledges his wrongs and learns from them. After all, seeing him this anxious about the Marisol situation only proves that he regrets ever saying all of that nonsense.

“Do you know how Marisol is feeling about me and her?” Gary flatly asks, now curious to know if the Spanish girl has discussed their issue with the others. Tracing back to the morning, that was probably the most uncomfortable meal he’s ever shared with someone. The blond’s fingers faintly graze his trimmed stubble at the recent memory of his partner turning her head each time she tried to avoid his gaze, “She was really quiet at the brunch. It got awkward.” Next, he looks over at Chloe to only witness her face grimacing at his question.

Chloe’s jaw lightly clenches to know he’s not going to find the answer pleasing. She could just tell him to not worry about it, but his expression silently pleads her to expose any truths. His gaze clings onto hers, as if he’s asking for her help— not just for a woman’s insight, but between friends. 

The Londoner sucks in a breath to roughly release the same air through her nostrils. “She said she wasn’t feeling a spark with you,” she admits to the crane operator. 

Gary slumps his broadly built shoulders out of defeat and whistles through his teeth to hear the elegant cellist tell him that. “That bloody spark. You know, that’s not the first time a woman’s said that about me,” he affirms enough to intrigue the hazel-eyed beauty to the small revelation of his past with women. 

Chloe gently squints her vivid eyes over at the spiky-haired blond with muted fascination to hear why he’s had trouble with girls. He truly is a mystery of a character for her. When taking in mind that Gary is such a flirtatious and charming man and, evidently, girls like Hannah and Marisol were even fighting for his attention, it becomes mind-boggling to hear he’s had trouble with this ‘spark’. Her thoughts are soon interrupted to hear Gary’s baritone vocals rumble out a question she isn’t prepared to answer, especially from him.

“What even is it? And how do I change it?” his voice wondrously rings with an earnest interest to gain knowledge of this alleged sensation he’s heard about before. He reckons someone like the friendly musician can enlighten him on the subject.

“You can’t just make the spark happen, Gary,” Chloe upturns her lips into an amused smile to hear how unaware he is about it. She takes notice at his face twisting in deeper perplex, his beautifully shaped lips curve into an unknowing pout. Wanting to clarify, the glamorous musician scans her mind for the right words, but she didn’t realise how difficult it is to describe it until now. She subconsciously scoots closer to the brawny man and scrunches the corners of her lips as she ponders how to explain this to him, “I can’t really tell you when or how you can get it but all I know is that it just… _happens_. And when it happens, you’ll know you’re feeling it.”

Angling his head to wholly intake everything she’s told him; Gary hums out his occurring curiosity. He then feels a gentle finger poking his toned shoulder and spots Chloe giving him a playful glare as she grins out her words, “But I reckon not lying about doing bits would be a good start,” she sneers out her velvety vocals, pleased to see the handsome blond man mirroring a similar grin over his mouth. 

They share a light-hearted laughter until Gary dryly exhales the same tiring frown he’s carried all morning. His brain can’t help but come back to the thought of Marisol. “And I dunno what to do with that spark if she’s not feeling it,” the crane operator murmurs with troubled ocean-coloured eyes glancing over at his gorgeous dark-haired companion, who graces him with an undeniable empathy radiating off her, “And I’ve already made a fuss out of it. I’m not sure if it’s even worth trying things out with her now.”

Chloe droops her head, dispirited to know nothing seems to make the blond Chathamite feel better. Her delicate canary-coloured irises blankly stare at those dumbbells that rivalled her not long ago, but then her gaze swiftly locks on Gary’s pale skin. She admires an impressive Skywalker lightsaber beautifully inked on the side of his muscled calf and lifts her head with a generous smile. 

“Do or do not…” she begins to quote the legendary Star Wars Jedi Master and instantly sees a dashing smile hugging Gary’s cheekbones to quickly detect such an inspiring phrase directed towards him. 

“There is no try,” he proudly finishes the quote and lightly chuckles at her quirkiness. Never has it crossed his mind that she’d even know about the iconic sci-fi films.

The crane operator takes a moment to fully examine her exterior: she’s sitting in exquisite grace with shoulders straightened and drapes herself in lavish high branded clothing. It almost looks weird to depict her as a fan of something considered nerdy but Gary can’t help but find her more appealing.

“Exactly,” Chloe nods, pleased to see that he appears to be more himself now.

Gary fully turns his wide bulky frame to completely face the kind cellist, now sensing a strangely comforting vibrancy that lures him to come closer to her. He mildly slouches to level with her petite frame and warily scratches the tattooed gears running up his neck.

“You probably think I’m an awful person now after all that?” He shamefully asks with lingering concern that Chloe may have a misconception of him.

The luxurious Londoner settles her astonished, widened amber eyes on his and promptly shakes her head. “No, of course not!” She proceeds to push her bottom lip upwardly, creating a bothered pout at the assumption; she’s not one to judge others so quickly. Yes, she’s felt a bit wary of him when he was acting too cocky and confident in the bedroom but their chat has thankfully filtered many questions. “I know there’s a heart hidden within all of those muscles,” she ends her compliment with a sincere smile, a tint of tenderness slipping through her mouth.

A surprising gesture for the pair, Chloe leans in and wraps her arms around Gary, pulling him into one of the most welcoming cuddles he’s ever experienced. His stunned gaze flickers with adoration to such a lovely act from her part. Her wonderful body heat scatters over to his and senses this particular intimacy when her soft hands delicately soothe the relaxation to his back muscles. Without any hesitation, the crane operator surrounds her feminine frame into his strong arms. Despite his hands carrying indisputable strength, he makes sure to return the same fragility in such a tender embrace. Pale masculine hands run down to the small of her back and cannot deny the want to pull her closer just to feel her heartbeat thunder synchronously against his. There was never any doubt in his mind that her gorgeous sandy-beige skin would be this soft, easily contrasting the roughness of his palms. He shifts his nose and makes contact with the soft curls of her chocolate-coloured locks. Each inhale Gary intakes, comes along her desirable fragrance of fresh earthly roses and it completely clouds his mind with eternal yearn to not let go of her just yet. 

Chloe never expected to just throw herself into the blond, but something has told her that this is something he needs. Even though she’s not one to just give out hugs to everyone, it makes her feel content to sense how relaxed he’s become with her arms around him. Despite the blue-eyed man’s body rippling in layers of impressive muscles and carrying such brawniness, the sophisticated cellist swells in such fondness to feel how vulnerable Gary feels in her arms. She can’t seem to describe her reasonings but, in such a short amount of time, Chloe’s grown to feel protective of this man. With the little time she’s come to chat with him, she can tell that there's a gentle soul waiting to be discovered by someone. Once she detects his masculine arms circling around her waist, the theatrical musician finds the need to gulp in a profound gasp to how warm his skin vaguely glides against hers. Her mind runs in stubborn convincement that this profuse electrifying sensation is nothing else but an imaginative silly thought. 

Chloe’s quick to gently loosen herself from his arms, but unique contrasts of colourful shades of virile blue and feminine hazel eyes lovingly meet. Oddly enough, her entire body feels numb with Gary’s arms remaining on her hips— even he can’t seem to detach himself from the brunette. There’s a level of intensity with just how the Chathamite gapes his look right through her; to a point where she needs to look away before he takes notice to her lightly blushed cheeks.

All the refined Londoner can do is shyly smile and push loose dark hair behind her ear as she hums out a nervous chuckle. The handsome blond man follows Chloe’s every move and sees her getting up from their shared seat. Afraid of losing her desired company, he clears his throat before saying anything else.

Gary curls an easy-going smirk over to the golden-eyed girl. “I’d be well nice if you’d finish the workout with me,” he proposes the idea, not knowing how else to keep her here.

Chloe arches a sceptical eyebrow, wondering if this bloke forgot how much she was struggling with the weights. “Nice try, but you saw how easily those things can kill me,” she jokingly responds with an amused laugh.

“I’d say it’s only fair you’d give in another go if I tried your vomit last night. “After feeling confident about getting his point across, his mouth drops to a hesitant frown after realising how weird that came out, “Um, wait. That sounds wrong.” 

The dark-haired woman widens out an entertained smile to his unintentional humour and encourages his vomit comment with a brief giggle, “How about a rain cheque? I’m still trying to recover from all that food.” She’d hate to deny his offer and would make the effort to stay but she genuinely doesn’t feel comfortable working out when she’s stuffed her face with those pancakes she refused to hand over to Dicky. Chloe reckons she won’t be fully recovering until this evening for her next round of dinner. 

“Right then,” Gary keeps the same playful smirk in place and steps a bit closer to her, consistently keeping up their stable eye contact, “I’ll take you on that offer, darling.” 

Chloe brings a hand near her eyebrow, lazily saluting the crane operator farewell and plush lips return a grin before turning her back to depart the atrocious gym, “I’ll see you later, hotshot.”

Just as the bulky blond man sees her hourglass silhouette vaporising into the sunlight, he begins to deeply ponder the growing guilt of fancying Dicky’s bird. The cranky mechanic is a true friend to him and he’ll respect boundaries for the sake of their friendship. And whilst knowing he shouldn’t think of Chloe like _that_ , she manages to mesmerise him with her divine smile— that’s all it takes. Only Chloe’s smile directed at him is all it takes to disobey his brain and follow whatever pull he’s got towards her. If he intends to get closer to the elegant cellist, he must remind himself that she’s with Dicky and it’s most likely going to stay like that. Just remembering how naturally connected they were during brunch makes his chest clench to know he’ll only ever be nothing but Jason’s mate to Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so how do we feel about the chapter? 👀Remember this is just the first part of day 4, so we will make sure to update as soon as we can for part 2 of day 4 👏🏼👏🏼things get more interesting haha 
> 
> Please let us know your thoughts on this chapter! We can't wait to share the second part 😌it's going to be amazing! 
> 
> Until next time~  
> mrsgaryrennell and cassiahalley


	6. Day 4 - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And sometimes that spark not necessarily happens when you first see them, but at random times, like when you watch them across the room, or you’re having a conversation, or even during your first kiss,” the blue-eyed girl continues. She takes a draw out of her cigarette and puffs out light smoke, her gaze not leaving Dicky’s impassive façade. “But it has to be there, and it has to be mutual so both of people know that they have something special going on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello beautiful people.｡.:*☆ here we are yet again with another chapter of this fic :3 this is always so fun to write and we hope you guys are enjoying it as much as we are✿✼:*ﾟthanks for all the support this project is getting, and especially to the people who leave comments and kudos :D you're all amazing. also, props to whoever catches the tiny the maze runner reference hahaha. we hope you like the chapter!  
> -cassiahalley.

**Day 4**

**Part 2.**

**In the kitchen– Evening.**

“… and this guy didn’t take the hint and kept throwing science pick-up lines at me. So, imagine me at the bar, just trying to drink my raspberry vodka in peace, and him trying to get my attention with quotes like ‘me and you would undergo a more energetic reaction than potassium and water’ or ‘I think you just lost an electron, because you’re positively attractive’,” Minni tells Chloe, as both brunettes saunter in direction to the kitchen.

“Wow, talk about cringey,” the cellist stretches a broad smile, chuckling at her younger friend’s awkward story. Chloe completely relates to the experience just remembering those boys back in Juilliard. Even to this day, she’ll have theatre actors try to recite romantic Shakespearean monologues or musicians will attempt to serenade her attention. The effort is quite flattering but many never seem to know when a girl isn’t interested. “Sometimes, I’ll follow along just to see how much worse their graft gets. It’s quite the show, I can tell you that much,” Chloe shakes her head when her memories thoroughly recall a few men that really stood out at the peak of their embarrassment.

Both of them finished getting ready for this evening pretty quickly, and preferred to head downstairs immediately to kind of distance themselves from the strong tension that was bound to erupt in the dressing room, giving today’s drama between Priya and Lottie at the Slime Challenge. On their way to the lawn, they began to share funny stories about bad dates they’ve had, a topic which was subconsciously brought by the subtle memory of Rocco’s stunt during this morning’s brunch.

As soon as the gorgeous girls get close to the place, they see Bobby is standing next to Gary, with a pristine, towering sandwich sitting proudly on display in front of him; whereas in front of the crane operator is a collapsed mess of bread and meat. At one side, Dicky is perched on a stool, grotesquely munching down what looks like someone else's lunch leftovers, a full bowl of mashed potatoes and chicken between his large hands. When noticing this, Chloe is sure that the mechanic didn’t ask for permission to eat another person’s meal.

“I still don’t get how you make it balance like that!” Gary complains, gesturing at Bobby’s perfectly made sandwich.

“You’ll get there, mate. Just keep practising,” the pastry chef reassures, his smooth hand lightly patting the blond man’s back as a way to lift his spirits.

Beside them, Dicky sneers a mocking cackle. “I dunno, lad,” he says with his mouth full of mashed potatoes. Then, his devilish green-hazel eyes meet Gary’s annoyed blue ones, “I’ve seen this bloke set bloody cheese on fire back home. I reckon there’s no hope for him when it comes to cooking.”

Before the crane operator can respond to his mate’s teasing, all of the three men notice the attractive pair of girls entering the kitchen, while chatting calmly. Their presence brings a lighter aura to the site, and stunning looks catch their attention straight away.

“What’s cooking, good looking?” Minni asks with a flirty voice tone, the question apparently not directed to anyone in particular. Her bright sight scans the handsome men in front of her while she bats her long eyelashes. “Literally,” she adds with a light-hearted giggle, signalling with a small nod at the arrangement of various ingredients scattered over the table.

In the meantime, the older brunette comes to the Scottish’s other side and glues her look directly at his beautifully arranged sandwich, wondering if he’s planning on making more for the others.

“We’re just making evening snacks,” Bobby responds, animatedly. Following that, he proceeds to showcase the way his enormous sandwich stands proudly on top of the counter. “What’s better than making sandwiches in a place in which we’re looking for our ‘butter half’?” he jokes, elbowing Chloe’s side with a bright smile.

The cellist lets out a small snorted laugh at his pun and elbows him back lightly. She looks down to see his slender fingers neatly arranging the sandwich in two halves and her grin grows, thinking she could easily persuade him to give over part of that delicacy. Chloe’s heels thump closer to him and lands a warm hand over his upper arm as a friendly gesture.

“Bobby, have I ever told you that I ‘loaf’ you very much?” She directs her bright gaze up at the freckled man and rapidly bats her dark curled lashes with an innocent-looking smile. Chloe can easily see Bobby’s cheeks lightly blush, returning an infatuated smile at the London beauty. Now with his attention only on her, she takes the opportunity to sneak a hand and takes one half of the meal.

Right when she’s walking away and moves over to Gary’s side, Chloe can hear Bobby huffing out his reaction to her stealing part of his sandwich, “Hey!” He pouts down to see the incomplete snack and darts his playful smirk over at the glamorous musician. “I’ll get you back for this, lass,” he mischievously grins after she scrunches her nose back at him, unbothered by his innocent threat.

Then, her golden eyes start flickering between the food she’s gripping in her hand and Gary’s, noticing a distinguishable difference. “Hun, what’s happened there?” The elegant woman curiously asks, trying to figure out what the crane operator intended to make out of that sandwich. Thinking that tilting her head will have a better view, it only causes her upper lip to scrunch up to the side out of confusion and raises one of her defined eyebrows.

Never has it crossed her mind that the blond crane operator would have terrible culinary skills. She doesn’t want to judge if his cooking knowledge lacks but just as she’s witnessing how atrocious the sandwich is uniformed makes her wonder how can he even survive living on his own. She almost wants to think that this man probably feeds himself with his nan’s cooking considering how close he seems to be with her. Her stare goes from the poorly made sandwich up to view his conflicted light eyes contrasting with his annoyed frown, stubbornly trying to rearrange the ingredients.

Close to her and still sitting on a stool, Dicky swallows his food before cutting in and answering for his younger mate. “Big ol’ Gary can’t make a sandwich to save his life, that’s what,” he sneers, right before scooping a big spoonful of mashed potatoes. The mechanic already finished a couple of sandwiches that he made on his own, but his unquenchable appetite didn’t stop there, so he decided to, yet again, steal someone’s leftovers and microwave them.

After brunch and especially after his shared time with Minni at the pool, Jason has felt himself getting progressively crankier and bad-tempered. He knows that, by now, he’s practically venting on anyone around him, particularly on Gary, but he also has no idea how to handle the emotions that come with having a crush as strong as the one he has on the blue-eyed girl and not be corresponded. And, on top of that, still fancying his current partner quite a bit but not wanting to lead her on when he knows that he has his eye on someone else, being her none other than Chloe’s best friend. The older Chathamite knows that it’s not fair for him to exteriorise his frustration like that, but also can’t help it— he feels trapped in his own feelings, with them being sensations he’s never experienced before.

Right when he finishes his sentence, he feels Gary’s burning stare on him. The mechanic turns to return the glare, a voice in the back of his head telling him that he should hold back, considering that his mate has already had not the best day so far. Despite this, Jason’s impulsive and confrontational nature gets the best of him.

“Why is it acceptable for you to not know how to make a sandwich, but not for me to point it out?” he barks and then rolls his eyes.

His attitude causes Gary to let out a deep sigh out of annoyance. Ever since brunch, he can’t guess what happened to his mate to turn him into an irritable mess— well, more irritable than usual. He’s seen him growling and staring menacingly back and forth to anyone who dares to approach him, including him. The crane operator doesn’t know what’s going on with this lad, and he actually planned on asking him once he’s calmed down a bit, but now that Jason got on his nerves with his constant ridiculing, Gary is almost as hot-headed as he was this morning.

“I feel like I could strangle you right now, lad,” the blond mutters. He clenches his strong jaw and maintains his blue eyes on his friend.

Although that was an attempt from the younger Islander to let him know how mad he’s getting, the mechanic is fast when replying with another mocking response, this time his mouth being full of food, “You aren’t tall enough.”

Standing between the Chatham pair, Bobby’s slender frame tenses. He has been in the kitchen with these two all evening and has only witnessed the tension rising and rising. All the pastry chef wants to do is to keep peace in the Villa, but he also knows it’s a hard task when Dicky is not willing to cooperate. Not knowing how to approach the grumpy brunet, less how to tell him to stop pushing everyone’s buttons, Bobby chooses to divert the attention. He recalls hearing the girls chatting cheerfully when they came into the kitchen.

“So what were you girls talking about?” The Scottish turns over to chat with his two gorgeous brunette friends, only to notice how they’ve exchanged a knowing look to see the stiff ambiance between the Chathamite men.

Realising what Bobby is trying to do to diffuse a possible argument between Gary and Dicky, Chloe follows along and smiles at the remembrance of her prior conversation with the freckled student. “Oh, Minni was telling me some of her bad date stories,” she informs, delicately placing one of her perfectly manicured hands on her friend’s small back.

The physics student is about to reply, when Jason’s voice emerges from between the grumbled muffles of his food. “Hah, this bloke here has lots of ‘em too, don’t you, Goldilocks?

When locking a hesitant sight with his older mate, Gary doesn’t know if he’s trying to ease out a conversation or to embarrass him on purpose. Either way, the crane operator’s mouth turns into a thin line and his eyes wrinkle as he cringes a bit. “Yeah…” he murmurs, quite ashamed for having had so many bad experiences with birds.

In this moment, a mischievous grin forms in Dicky’s face, as his bearded cheeks stretch. He shifts his green-hazel sight towards the brunette girls and Bobby, preparing to tell a story. “There was this time…” he begins, after gulping his last piece of food.

“Argh, mate, don’t even start with that,” the brawny man whines, throwing his head back in exasperation. He knows exactly which story his friend is referring to. Jason never misses the opportunity to tell people how one of Gary’s girlfriends messed up a Sunday family dinner, which ended up in so much disaster that the blue-eyed man broke up with her the next day. “It was the worst day of my life.”

“… when this lad invited his new girlfriend to a family dinner, and I also happened to be there,” Dicky continues, ignoring the younger Chathamite’s request. “Then, out of nowhere, the bird got pissed off at me…”

“I wonder why,” Gary tries to interrupt again, the volume of his baritone voice rising and rolling his eyes.

While listening to the story, both Minni and Bobby exchange puzzled looks, beginning to notice how hot-headed the crane operator is getting with Dicky’s attitude. As opposed to the older golden-eyed cellist, she keeps her attention on her partner and nods at every detail he spills. She’s fully interested how the story will conclude, even constructing alternate scenarios of just how that Sunday dinner might’ve played out between Jason and the girl.

Still not wanting to address the other man’s words, the mechanic continues with his story. “… and, instead of being civil, she tried to bloody wr—”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough, mate,” Gary’s voice thunders with urgency, now definitely not wanting for his friend to keep speaking. He’s felt like the majority of the attention has been grasped by him today and, surely, doesn’t want to end the night on another embarrassing note.

Chloe turns her head over to the sound of the spiky-haired man’s irritable vocals overcasting the kitchen and disappointingly pouts at not allowing Dicky to finish the story. She wants to understand Gary’s wishes to not share further details but something was telling her that the Sunday dinner conclusion is worth a listen. Her interested look goes over to the raven-haired man and discreetly thinks of asking him later about Gary’s ex-girlfriend. The musician completely understands how nosy she’s being but there’s no stopping her when her curiosity sways within her.

In that instant, Minni senses that the situation will end up badly soon. Her mind races as she tries to find a way to stop Dicky to keep speaking, but at the same time not turning his already evident determination to keep winding up Gary into something worse. Graciously, the freckled girl gets slightly closer to the brunet man and puts a kind smile on her face.

“You know what? I’m actually craving a cigarette,” she comments to the group, gathering all the attention to herself. It’s impressive how people are soon to direct their sights at Minni whenever she intends to be the centre of attention, something that rarely ever happens in larger groups as she is mostly just chilling. “Wanna come with me, Dicky?” the young woman asks, placing a gentle hand on his broad shoulder.

Her touch surely makes the mechanic stop speaking, trying not to look taken aback by her invitation. Within seconds, he sees Gary concealing a smile, probably thinking of actually accepting the offer for him as he knows Dicky fancies the blue-eyed girl. But this is not what makes the older Chathamite want to accept right away, his insides knowing perfectly why he desires spending more alone time with the physics student. Besides, at this point he’s starting to guess that, if he was ever to say no to Minni’s requests, he wouldn’t be himself.

The mechanic’s way to say ‘yes’ is just by shrugging, lukewarm. Without saying anything else, he stands up and locks gazes with Minerva, noticing how pleased she looks for having him go with her. After the girl waves goodbye at the rest of the Islanders at the kitchen, the pair goes away in the direction of the bean bags.

At the strange behaviour Jason’s just had, Chloe can’t help but blink at how easily he's taken Minerva’s proposition. She could have almost bet that he was going to mock Minni and blow her off, especially when he’s been incredibly unbearable today. But, seeing how quick he was to hop off his seat and guide his long legs over to her younger friend only makes her think if that's his way to escape the kitchen’s sharp environment.

As he watches them walking away, Gary can’t help but to smile a bit, trying to look at his sandwich so none of his fellow Islanders notice. The crane operator knows Jason well, but the side he’s starting to show when Minni is around is completely new to him, or at least unexpected— Gary never thought Dicky would look tamer regarding a bird.

“Alright, let’s give it another go, big man,” the Scottish Islander leans over to rearrange all the ingredients once more for his blond friend. Hopefully, this time doesn’t fail. Bobby starts to think that Gary might’ve not been paying any attention because of Dicky’s bad timing on his banter. The pastry chef is just grateful that the kitchen’s aura has calmed down, just having Gary standing next to him and Chloe takes Jason’s stool, now getting a front seat view of their food crafting.

The posh-looking Londoner suavely swings one leg over her other knee, crossing her legs and observes the concentrated pair of men on the other side of the counter. She tilts her head in wonderment if Gary _really_ doesn’t know how to make a sandwich. In reality, it’s a basic preparation and she can’t help but keep a blank stare hovering over her face to witness the blond’s ambivalent hand trying to even out the layer of butter on the bread. Surely, he can’t be faking any of this.

**At the lawn – Evening.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIUCW8reUBE)

A small flame crackles out of Minni’s glittery pink lighter and ignites the first cigarette. She’s comfortably sitting over a bright yellow bean bag, with Dicky’s big frame settled right next to her on a blue one. The mechanic’s mysterious eyes follow her attentively, his own cigarette hanging out of his lips and still waiting to be lit. His stubborn conviction that he has to stop fancying this light-hearted physics student keeps telling him that he must put some distance between them, to put his walls up and enclose those unexpected emotions inside himself, pretty much like he always does. But, also, some part of him has taken a dangerous liking to this jumpy bean of a girl, this summing up to the fact that he can’t simply say ‘no’ to her whenever she asks for something— he still can’t figure out how she does it, less how to stop it.

After having spent a few minutes in the pool with her this afternoon, Dicky can’t deny that Gary was right: hanging out with Minni _is fun_ , although the raven-haired man would never admit it out loud, already acknowledging it to himself being hard enough; he still thinks he shouldn’t feel this way about her, particularly when having in mind how different they are. This is the main reason why he’s been insufferable the entire day, not wanting to interact with anyone in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Jason can’t still believe how him, being a grown man who has always been distant and never gets attached to anyone, can’t deal with a simple crush on a bird. And, on top of that, contrary to what he planned, the only person that has been able to exchange more than a few moody words with him has been Minerva.

Before the freckled girl can notice him staring at her, Dicky turns his sight quickly to his black lighter and flickers his finger down on it, a flame sparkling in an instant.

Needless to say, Minni’s intentions of inviting him here were merely to give Gary a breather of all his older mate’s teasing. The young woman actually used smoking as an excuse, considering that it seems the only thing she and Dicky evidently have as a shared activity. In honest words, she doesn’t feel much like smoking today; it’s not a frequent habit of hers, with it just being her way to get her mind out of things when she feels stressed out, and this is not the case at all. Oddly, being sat in silence with Jason’s company brings a sense of comfort, a strange calm settling between the pair. One cigarette will be fine, she reckons, and enough time to get Gary to cool down.

Whilst she puts her lighter and pack in the pockets of her deep blue party jumpsuit, with her peripheral vision she can see Dicky drawing out a long puff of white smoke. His narrow jaw, covered by a raven stubble, moves swiftly as he exhales, deep green eyes staring at some spot across the pool. Now, Minni is trying not to look at him directly, just because she knows her stare will give away how attractive she thinks he looks with this lighting and the light grey denim button up shirt he has on, the sleeves scrunched up at his elbows enough to make visible his entire wing forearm tattoo. He seems to be deep in thought for a moment, until he speaks, his look still fixed on a faraway spot. It’s weird, the young woman notices, that he looks way less crabby now than how he seemed to be back in the kitchen.

“What’s that thing you girls were talking about today, at brunch? About Marisol and Gary?” the mechanic asks, his voice deep when he remembers having heard something as he was tucking in some toasties.

The topic of the question takes Minni by surprise, and she decides to direct her look at him. “Oh, the spark,” she responds, nonchalant.

Jason’s slit eyebrow arches, his gaze meeting the blue-eyed girl’s. He feels curious about her answer, taking interest as he draws his cigarette. “What about it?” the brunet man asks, his curiosity disguised with a small scowl, his dark eyebrows now going down and knitting together.

A breathy sigh gets out of Minni’s lips as she remembers what Marisol said about her situation with Gary earlier on, during brunch. Right after her chat with Dicky, the youngest brunette girl decided not to pull the crane operator for a conversation, after all, as he seemed to be doing better during the day. Still, she is worrying a bit about Marisol not being too keen on him already.

“She says she’s not feeling it with Gary,” Minni confesses, before bringing her cigarette to her mouth and taking a tense puff.

While grunting dismissively, Dicky settles his stare on her. He gazes at her with a serious and moody facial expression. “That bloody spark doesn’t exist, mate. It’s just another one of those fantasy cliché quotes.”

Displeasure scrunches Minni’s eyebrows a bit, “Why do you think that?”

“Haven’t felt it,” the mechanic replies, shrugging.

His apathetic response makes the physics student snort. “It’s because you haven’t been in love yet, Jason,” she smirks at how unaware this man seems to be on how romance works. “I reckon you don’t even know how it’s supposed to feel like. Maybe you already felt it with _someone_ and you ignored it,” the young woman teases, kicking his leg lightly.

Dicky growls grumpily, his stare fixed on her high platform shoes as she gives him another small and playful kick to get his full attention. The fact that he’s sure she’s referring to him and Chloe only brings his mood down, not because he doesn’t fancy the classic cellist, but because this demonstrates, yet again, that Minerva is not interested in him in the slightest.

Darkened green-hazel eyes and a bad-tempered expression meet Minni’s jokey one, daring her to kick him again. When she does, and with a devilish grin on her face, Dicky can’t help but to mirror her grin and shake his head in disbelief, then turning it in the opposite direction in an attempt not to follow her banter. He’s pretty much aware by now that this bird is a fan of winding him up and teasing at his grouchy character.

Trying to distract himself yet again, the mechanic returns his attention to his cigarette, being quick to finish it and lighting up another one, his pale and slender fingers moving deftly. Despite this, the curiosity about the topic hasn’t faded from his mind yet, not having an idea of what makes that ‘spark’ thing, that apparently has been on most Islanders’ mouths today, so special. He’s never felt something that he could label as unique, and wonders if he’d like to experience it in the future, also like having a relationship with someone.

Much like listening to Minni talking about love, like he did this afternoon, Jason knows it’s a dangerous move on his end to ask her to explain ‘the spark’, her response bound to at least cause something to flutter inside him just like it happened back then. The Chathamite knows that he’s putting himself in the front row to be vulnerable and opening up but, still, he can’t get enough of these chats with her. He fights with his conflicted desires for a few seconds, until he gives in.

“Enlighten me, sugar,” he mocks, his sight meeting hers while appearing to be somewhat uninterested.

Once again, Minni is surprised at how, despite looking indifferent and not too enthused on what she has to say, Jason still asks for her insight about romantic stuff. Something tells her that he is eager to learn, but feels that speaking of these topics could somehow tarnish his bad boy character. Because of this, she’s well pleased to have the opportunity to explain, this also being a good chance of getting him to open up a bit more to her.

“The spark is like a way of saying that two people in a relationship feel something special by being with one another, you know,” the brunette girl starts, her voice gentle and educative. She leaves her cigarette between two fingers as she talks, smoke swirling up and vanishing while it ascends. “It’s something you don’t exactly experience with someone else, like a _click_ , just as, well, a spark,” she concludes. “I’m not sure what causes it, though. I don’t reckon people have positive and negative charges around them that make them feel attracted to one another,” she adds, followed by a cheeky wink and then a light giggle at her own pun, even though she doesn’t think it was as funny as the last one she made. What makes it funny is Dicky’s reaction, which is rolling his eyes and huffing out an annoyed breath.

The stubborn Chathamite exasperatedly groans, throwing his head back. Although he finds it entertaining how Minni delivers corny quotes as a way of irritating him on purpose, he is about to shoot back a mean reply about her science puns, but almost gets interrupted as she speaks again, apparently not being done with her explanation.

“And sometimes that spark not necessarily happens when you first see them, but at random times, like when you watch them across the room, or you’re having a conversation, or even during your first kiss,” the blue-eyed girl continues. She takes a draw out of her cigarette and puffs out light smoke, her gaze not leaving Dicky’s impassive façade. “But it has to be there, and it has to be mutual so both of people know that they have something special going on.”

One more time, the way she makes all of this sentimental stuff sound so easy results in the mechanic paying special attention, even if he doesn’t demonstrate it. He ends up grunting and lifting his slit eyebrow, his eyes fixed on hers. “Melt,” he states, teasingly.

His response causes Minerva to sigh, beginning to give up on him; she was hoping to get the Jason she saw this afternoon out again. Shaking her head, the girl diverts her focus towards her cigarette, not being even halfway of finishing it. With this gesture, she hopes to let him know her discontent.

Even though he’s an asshole most of the time, Dicky never intends to upset Minni, as much as he likes messing up with her. He understands that there’s a line between banter and genuinely pissing her off, and he doesn’t want to cross it, so he urgently attempts to get her attention back, without noticing that he’s actually opening up while doing so. “Like I said earlier on, I haven’t felt comfortable enough with a bird to get to a deep chat, let alone I could’ve felt a bloody spark.”

Pleased by how the brunet man started speaking again so quickly, Minerva’s expression turns from annoyance to her never ending cheekiness. “Oh, so you believe in it now?” she teases.

After throwing her a glare, Dicky decides that it’s fair to give her this one. She has persuaded him that maybe there could be something similar to a spark that serves as a confirmation for two people to know that they’re right for each other. “You’re quite convincing, sugar,” he replies, shortly and with a small smile tugging one of the corners of his mouth when seeing how proud Minni is after having influenced him on the idea.

Silence resumes between the pair, whereas the Cantabrigian starts thinking that she hasn’t felt anything regarding Rocco yet, as much as the curly-haired Islander has tried to get her attention and pamper her at all times. They spent practically the entire day together, they even _kissed_ yesterday and she didn’t feel more than the adrenaline that implies kissing someone new and for the first time. Still, this doesn’t bother her, as she told the girls at brunch. Maybe the spark appears with time, but if not, Minni won’t force anything between her and Rocco— the only thing she hopes is that he doesn’t get too attached to her, as not to upset him if she decided on going for someone else after having waited for the spark for too long.

Along the same lines, Dicky’s scowl deepens when he realizes that he hasn’t felt a spark with Chloe. They get along well and are so alike that it’s almost weird that nothing romantic has bloomed between the two, even more considering how gorgeous of a woman the classical cellist is, and that they’re coupled up and sharing a bed every night. He ends up guessing that it might be because of his fault once again, because he doesn’t feel ready to open up to her yet, and can’t see himself doing it out of the blue.

Now, the mechanic also begins to worry about Gary and Marisol, given the new information Minni told him at the beginning of this evening’s chat, about the law student already telling the girls that she’s not feeling it with Gary. Before having the blue-eyed girl explaining ‘the spark’ to him, Dicky would’ve advised his mate on just ignoring that romantic rubbish and keep trying it with Marisol if she’s the girl he fancies the most at the moment, but now he can’t help but think that, perhaps, not having a certain connection, even if it’s a minimal one, could be a bad sign for the couple.

Like if she was reading his thoughts, Jason feels Minni shifting slightly next to him, a discouraged sigh escaping her lips along with a puff of white smoke. This makes his eyes dart instantly to her, to make sure she’s feeling well.

“I just want everyone to be happy here, and to find out what they’re looking for, even if it’s not necessarily love,” the girl breaks the silence, in need to let out a bit of the preoccupation she’s been bottling up.

Instead of taking instant notice at what she’s just said, the mechanic pays attention to the way she delivers her words, a selfless aura surrounding her. He questions himself on how he didn’t realize before that Minni tends to worry about all of her friends on a deeper level, and that this behaviour could smother her in some way too.

More than being in awe by her cheeky personality and bubbly exterior, it’s the simple honesty in which she _feels_ things and expresses herself that makes Dicky take a special liking to her. He finds himself looking at this petite girl, who is full of outspoken love, only hoping that nobody dares to hurt her gentle soul, ever. Deep down, Jason wishes she could be his to protect, somehow, and not because he genuinely thinks she’s weak for being too caring of others, but because the brunet man knows there’s malicious people who could take advantage of her way of thinking, much like it has happened to Gary in the past.

Feeling his insides fluttering once more, the grumpy mechanic tries to shake off the sensation by answering her with an affirmative grunt. He is quick to finish his second cigarette, then his large hands clumsily fumble with his lighter to light up another one, in need to find a distraction whilst his mind is already desperately trying to think of reasons why not to find Minerva lovely, with no success whatsoever.

An exclamation coming from the blue-eyed girl interrupts his gloomy trail of thought. “Look! Aren’t they beautiful?”

Her excitement inevitably brings Jason’s focus back to her. “Huh?” The man asks, confused as he looks aimlessly in the direction in which Minni’s small finger is pointing at in the sky. He is not seeing anything more than a deep purple evening tint, as the night is already starting to settle.

“No, silly. Over there,” the physics student giggles at his poor way of direction when looking at the firmament and places her fingers on his cheek, to make him turn his face upwards and to the left. “There.”

Just then, Dicky fixes his green-hazel orbs in two twinkling points far away in the sky. “They’re _two dots_ , sugar,” he sneers, wryly. The outraged expression on Minni’s face that he earns is the best price he could ever get out of this situation, he reckons. He takes a second to admire and engrave in his memory the way she looks at him with that exasperated pout of hers, before letting out a laugh. “Alright, alright. Big mistake, I made there,” he says, backpedalling a bit just to make sure he’s not truly offending her, because he knows how protective the young woman is regarding science and her career. “Okay, what are they?”

“Those ‘two dots’, Jason, are two stars that are currently evolving from a main sequence star into subgiants,” Minni replies, almost in a nagging tone for having him call them ‘just two dots’. The Cantabrigian is surely genuinely annoyed, but also wants to explain why they’re so important now that she has the mechanic’s full attention, “They’re named Alderamin and Alfirk, and are part of Cepheus, the 27th largest constellation in the northern sky.”

Even though he keeps quiet, Dicky squints his eyes to take a better look at those two stars. He never thought he’d find a little of beauty in the simple vision of two twinkling spots in the sky— or maybe it’s just Minni’s voice that makes them sound more interesting than they are. He somewhat admires how the younger brunette always spills these portions of knowledge just for the sake of _sharing_ and keeping the conversation going.

“You know, we could actually be looking at their corpses right now,” the girl adds after a moment of quietness. “They’re so far away that even if light travels at the fastest speed in the universe, those stars could’ve died long ago and their light could still be travelling towards us.”

The dark undertones of the information surely find Jason unprepared. “Star corpses?” he asks, incredulous. After Minni nods casually, a faint smirk of amusement stretches his bearded cheeks, almost imperceptibly. “That’s bloody inspiring,” he says, ironically. “And you had the nerve to tell _me_ I make grim comments.”

This time, he did intend his last statement to be a jab that would make her laugh, and when it does, the mechanic can’t explain how fulfilling it feels. Whereas Minni shakes her head and keeps looking at those stars, as her giggles lower in volume, the brunet man is just looking at her, getting this fluttering feeling in his insides again.

Suddenly, a worrying realization dawns of him, like a splash of cold water. If _this_ , the way he feels when he’s near her, when he makes her happy or when he just listens to her words, isn’t the spark she was speaking of, then Jason doesn’t have a goddamn clue on what it could be.

Soon, his racing mind comes to the conclusion that all this time he’s been too focused on keeping his walls up, on closing off after thinking he’s said too much, that he hasn’t noticed he’s also gotten lost too many times in the hue blue of her eyes, with her already reaching out to him in ways no girl has ever done before— Minerva won him over so easily that he didn’t even notice.

In this moment, Dicky realises that he has made an absolute fool of himself; Minni has made him speak of romantic topics, has made him open up about the idea of love and has made him feel comfortable enough to _express himself,_ all in one day, and even if it was for short amounts of time. He has developed a soft spot on her, caring about her wellbeing so much after just a few days of having met her, getting concerned about the possibility that she could get hurt in this place. This same soft spot is what makes him _crave_ making her smile, a brief melodic laugh of hers being so rewarding to him.

But, along with all of those thoughts that swarm in his head, he gets hit by the idea that Minni has always been so blatant on labelling him as a mate, which puts him instantly on edge. It’s the first time he’s felt this way regarding a bird and he’s already sure it won’t work, and less knows how to cope with it. It’s the first time he’s opened up and _liked_ someone up to this level, even if he didn’t intend her to grow so much in him, and he will probably get rejected straight away.

Dicky’s mood goes down at a fast pace, frustration filling every space in his mind and his body tensing up. His heart thumps fast against his ribcage, and he doesn’t know what to do or how to handle his newfound emotions, feeling more exposed than ever. Now that he has let Minni in, he could easily get hurt, something that hasn’t happened to him before either.

Unexpectedly, he snaps out of his thoughts after hearing shouts thundering across the Villa.

“Leave me alone!” Lottie’s voice resonates from the kitchen.

“Woah! What’s happening?” Gary’s voice can be distinguished next.

“Priya, that’s what!” The makeup artist replies in a high-pitched tone.

Rapidly, the brunet man senses Minni standing up next to him. “We should see what’s going on,” she says, putting out her still unfinished cigarette. Preoccupation and hurry hover on her light and silky voice.

“Good call,” it’s the only thing Dicky is able to respond. Internally and externally, he’s not even fazed by the fact that Priya and Lottie are having a loud argument in the kitchen. For now, he’s not able to focus on other things than the thought he’s just felt a spark that’s most positively not mutual.

**In the kitchen – Evening.**

Just then, the trio listens to an abrupt feminine voice echoing their area. It’s distracting enough to make their heads wonder in different directions, wanting to find the source of that familiar voice, until they spot a dark-red haired woman roughly clattering her shiny heels against the ground.

“There you go again!” Priya exclaims out her annoyed breath. Her dark eyes heavily roll to feel the Lottie’s presence right behind her ever since exiting the bathroom, “You straight up blame me and make me look like the baddie, but you’re the one who can’t go two minutes without getting salty.”

Confused by the situation, Gary’s prying stare remains on the heated argument between the two rivalled girls. His hand then goes to grab the loaf of bread to attempt the butter trick once more, but the Australian swats it away by accident as she dismisses Priya’s comment.

“Wait, so who should I be cheering for?” Bobby jokingly questions. His attempt to ease out of the rising drama fails to hear how defensive the blonde makeup artist flares her nostrils whenever Priya would point her finger accusingly towards her.

“Me, babe!” Lottie rapidly pokes her fingertips against her chest, biasedly signalling herself at the righteous part of the debate.

Priya loudly groans out the frustration of dealing with such a confrontational woman. This entire time, she’s tried to pinpoint every flaw the estate agent has, but apparently no one can tell Lottie any of her wrongs without bursting into a dramatic monologue about Girl Code, “I can’t understand what you’ve got against me? Everyone here has treated me just fine, except you!”

After her statement, Bobby looks down at the counter in front of him and quickly grabs on to some condiment bottles, now using them as a poor alternative for pom-poms. “Let’s not hate, let’s be friends...” He goes along with his cheer but the chant dies down to a defeated whisper when he realises that nothing seems to calm these two.

Standing beside the pastry chef, Gary settles down another crumbled slice of bread and decides to bring his attention to the bickering birds. His curious stare shifts back and forth between Priya and Lottie’s scowls but finally lands over to the older girl. “What’s Lottie actually done?” The spiky-haired blond simply asks.

Just as he’s trying to keep up with the conversation, Gary tries to grab his butter knife but Priya slams her palm with force on the counter, causing the utensil to bounce off the table and lightly clatters a metal ring against the floor. Gary irks a tut as he bends over to pick it up.

Next, Priya raises her nicely trimmed eyebrows over at the crane operator, amazed to hear him even ask a question with such an obvious answer, “You’re saying you haven’t noticed? How about making salty comments whenever I’m around?” The glamorous estate agent scoffs out a mocking chuckle and shakes her head, making her way over to Chloe’s side, who has remained silent ever since her and Lottie arrived at the kitchen. “And heaven forbid I say anything?” She throws her arms in the air and wails out an exasperated breath to not have anyone reason with her— not even her hazel-eyed friend is saying anything about the situation. Then, Priya recalls Minni pulling Chloe over towards the exit of the dressing room earlier this evening, as a way to not get involved in any of the drama. Which, the older woman couldn’t really blame them when every girl has already started to feel this strange pressure to follow some sort of imposed Girl Code.

“I just tell it like it is, babes,” Lottie confidently smirks to notice that the room remains with a bit of silence and no one seems to be backing up the red-headed girl. Her lime-green eyes glide to Chloe, who is staring down at her glass of wine, elegantly clinging onto her slim fingers. The gorgeous cellist carries a small frown along with serious hazel-brown irises not knowing where to glance.

Still perplexed, Gary runs large fingers over his golden facial hair down to his strong chin whilst pondering both sides of the feud. He hums out a deep rumble coming from his chest and shrugs unconvinced, “I’m gonna need more than that to go on, Priya.”

The older estate agent parts her lips, not knowing how else to defend herself when Lottie’s walking around the Villa telling everyone how awful she is. Priya’s dark eyebrows lower in agitation to the topic as she crosses her arms over her chest and clamps her mouth shut, tightly pressing her lips together to form an irritable line. “Why should I have to justify anything?” She flickers her disturbed lashes at the boys and Chloe, hoping to seek a voice of reason in this bloody kitchen. The more she thinks about it, the more convinced she is of feeling like an outsider in this place, “As if no one’s noticed.”

The brunette cellist straightens her back and angles her head to witness how smug Lottie is looking after Priya feels a bit helpless. Ever since the Slime Challenge from today, it’s been nothing but a continuous effort from Lottie’s part to lecture about being a girl’s girl. More than anything, because Priya tried to make a move on Noah, the makeup artist hasn’t left her alone all day. What’s bothering Chloe more is how dramatic the Aussie Islander has become ever since this morning. She’s remained quiet this entire time just to keep her cool but the patience seems to gradually diminish every time Lottie decides to have an argument with someone; especially when she’s only been attacking Chloe’s close friends.

“I think you need to cool off, Lottie. You’ve been nothing but an utter nuisance today, don’t you reckon?” The stunning Londoner jeeringly asks, now feeling everyone’s stare landing on her. She hovers the glass of wine near her mouth and takes a small sip of the bittersweet alcohol before indifferent hazel eyes spot a gobsmacked inked makeup artist.

“Me?” The blonde asks, surprised to think someone would actually take Priya’s side. Then again, she’s noticed how well Priya and Chloe have been getting along— of course they would have each other’s backs. Lottie clenches her jaw after the older brunette decides to go against her. Slim pale fingers dig in her palm as she forms a fist of stored aggravation and humps out a breath.

“Should’ve seen that coming,” Lottie pouts her dark purple lips, now feeling like she’s in the hot seat this time. “You never take my side,” her voice goes quiet at the end, hoping someone throws a bit of sympathy.

Following her last sentence, the cosmetic expert shifts her heavily purple pigmented eyelids to Bobby and Gary, silently asking for some backup, but the two men look away; they seemingly don’t want to get on the musician’s bad side for something Lottie’s caused.

After sharing her thoughts on Bobby’s current partner, Chloe takes notice at the heavy silence lingering in the kitchen. The glamorous cellist settles her drink on the counter and can’t help but sourly chuckle at how deluding this girl can be, “How can I take your side if you’ve been looking for trouble ever since this morning.” Chloe throws an intolerant stare over at the colourful-haired girl but her voice never fails to lose its etiquette. “You’ve managed to bring up unnecessary drama with Gary just because he didn’t pick your friend over Marisol, you’re probably the reason why Dicky’s been extra grumpy all day after having a go at him, and now you’re trying to point fingers at Priya for something _all_ of us had to do during a challenge,” the musician says factually, leaning her back on the chair and faintly raises her neatly done eyebrows after hearing a wrathful hiss coming from Lottie. Their stone stares remain steady for a few seconds, Chloe’s fiery stare challenging her to debate, but the blonde eventually looks away.

“I’m going, anyway. I need to be on my own because apparently, I’m the problematic one here! When all I’ve been trying to do is be a loyal friend unlike _other_ girls in here,” Lottie throws Priya a dirty look at the last part of her sentence whilst trying to disguise the hurt towards Chloe’s truthful words. She doesn’t know why, but after hearing the dark-haired girl’s opinion only makes her swell in more annoyance; it can almost make her burst into angry tears.

“Don’t bother. I’m leaving, too,” the estate agent narrows her eyes into a displeased squint after noticing how Lottie can’t seem to drop the worn-out subject. As much as she appreciates Chloe trying to add her supportive input, she can’t help but still feel her blood boiling under her skin to know she’ll continue to be seen as the antagonist of the Villa.

“Well I’m leaving before you!” The Aussie woman shrieks her voice, but lacks to establish the superiority of the argument.

Just like that, the two girls turn on their heels to go, with Lottie stomping her way upstairs, probably to find in the rooftop terrace the type of isolation that she really needs right now. Without looking back, Priya saunters out to the empty lawn, wanting to take a good breather after such an awful argument.

Scarcely arriving at the group’s huddle, Minni and Dicky can see the two conflictive females seclude themselves in opposite directions. The pretty freckled girl looks up to meet the Chathamite’s emerald-brown eyes, and for some reason she notices that he’s genuinely unbothered about the drama. Confused, Minni’s gaze follows Lottie’s tall figure heading inside, her body language indicating that she’s still fuming. The student’s immediate instinct is to go after her to assure she’s feeling okay.

“What in the bloody hell has happened?” Jason asks, his stare grouchily lands on his current partner, but all she does is shrug as her response. He’s positive that his short-tempered tone of voice sounds like it’s directed at Chloe, even when he doesn’t mean to, but he’s just miffed at how his chat with Minerva has cut short. That’s the only explanation he can come up with after the cellist heavily rolls her eyes at how demandingly rude her partner sounds for an answer, making it look like if any of this has been her fault.

“Ah, you know how Priya and Lottie get when they’re in the same room. They can’t stand breathing the same air, mate,” Gary answers indifferently after noticing no one else replying to his hometown friend. His gaze never loses the sight of the food in his hands, and all he hears coming from the mechanic is a sharp grunt.

“I’ll go check up on Lottie,” Minni simply states and her frown lightly twitches at the corners of her mouth. Today has carried too many problems and she doesn’t want the blonde Australian girl to end tonight holding any grudges. The blue-eyed girl can only think of the peace that should remain in the Villa and, although she knows she can’t control how people feel, she wants to be there for anyone who needs to be heard.

As much as Jason wants to mask his disappointment of seeing the Cambridge student walking away to find Lottie, he refrains from losing his stern face and long fingers fiddle in his back pocket, instantly to locate his pack of cigarettes. Judging by the look on Chloe’s face, which slightly resembles the same annoyance Gary had before Minni pulled the tall mechanic out to the beanbags, he knows if he stays here with his partner, he’ll be unfairly grumpy towards her and doesn’t want to push the petite woman’s buttons when she’s been tolerating him all day like this.

Surprisingly enough for him, Chloe’s been incredibly patient with him, but right now he can evidently see that the patience is diminishing. The hazel-eyed musician is bound to ask him why he’s been behaving differently, and Jason just doesn’t know how to tell the Londoner that he’s been developing a liking for not just any other woman, but for her best friend in this Villa.

Dicky can sense his anger swelling up in his veins— he respects Chloe too much to have her putting up with him yet again, less after having to handle the girls’ recent argument in the kitchen. The man dangles the rolled-up tobacco at the edge of his frowned mouth. “I’m not even going to ask more about this, lads,” he mutters whilst lighting up the cigarette. Without another word, he walks away towards the daybeds, hoping to learn to dominate his crabbiness and hopefully figure out how to get that blue-eyed girl out of his head.

Right after Jason’s tall figure disappears as he sinks on top of a daybed, the kitchen is now back to the original group of people. No one dares to speak up, still trying to process the heated feud that’s just happened. As she remains quiet, Chloe gently swirls her unfinished white wine dancing in the cup, contemplating about how she confronted Lottie. Despite she wasn’t planning on saying anything and just expected to continue watching the whole thing unfold, witnessing such unfairness towards Priya, it forced her hazel orbs to sense complete discomfort for her friend. At some point when talking back at the tattooed girl, Chloe thought she was going to feel a bit of regret, perhaps for spitting out an overwhelming amount of harsh accuracies but, strangely enough, she felt like a weight lift off her shoulders in the aftermath.

Her thoughts are soon interrupted by the smooth voice of her younger Scottish friend. Her eyelids blink after blankly staring at her beverage and she shifts her gaze over to Bobby, who is already huffing out a nervous chuckle to ease out the last bit of tension.

“Well, that was a thing that just happened,” the freckled boy says, light-heartedly.

Still feeling tense, Gary decides to not respond, and tries to focus on balancing the ingredients, and Chloe offers a kind smile to a worried Bobby.

For some reason, something keeps telling the pastry chef that he should go check on Priya, ultimately agreeing with what Chloe stated before Lottie stormed out of the kitchen. Recalling how gloomy Priya’s expression has got before heading towards the lawn, concern washes over his genuine empathetic nature and he gets determined to go see if she’s doing alright.

The slim-looking man begins to saunter away from the counter, deeply sighing out the recent clash between the two upset girls. As he passes by, Bobby’s arm unintentionally brushes against Chloe’s and he’s quick to feel her hand gently tug on his arm, making him stop mid-step and look down to view her uniquely shaded amber eyes clouding in layers of concern.

“If you’d like, I can go talk to Priya,” she softly suggests.

The cellist has to be a mind-reader for her to know his exact intentions, Bobby thinks. His bright gaze softens to hear the Londoner’s concern for their mutual friend and gifts her an earnest smile, “Don’t worry about it, Chloe. I can have a quick chat with her just to make sure she’s doing alright. If I notice she needs to talk to someone else, I’ll let you know,” he reassuringly nods and widens that same smile to see the refined girl nod in agreement.

Just as the Glaswegian man finally exits the kitchen, Chloe is left alone with Gary. The spiky-haired crane operator is evidently storing in all his annoyance at the same sandwich he’s been demonstrated to make multiple times and can’t seem to replicate.

She briefly glances down to see a line of the same ingredients scattered around; pastrami, pickles, and various condiments lie strewn across the counter. The man’s big hand grips a silver knife tightly and, despite trying to be careful, he once again fails to butter the slice of bread. His blue eyes shake with impatience with himself to know he’s disintegrated another piece of bread into crumbs. 

“Dammit!” Gary barks out loud and grumbles out a vexed frown. His peripheral sight catches a glimpse of Chloe, the stunning cellist silently observing his struggles just when she offers him a small smile, already making his facial muscles relax to the warmth of her friendly gesture. “How does Bobby make this look so easy?” The muscular blond frustratingly asks as he shakes his head to know he can’t make himself food. Next, his stare hovers down to witness the mess he’s made. There’s mustard smothered in multiple pieces of bread and he sighs, “It’s the same butter. He did it in, like, one swish.”

Chloe scrunches her nose at the term, not quite comprehending what he wants to convey. “Swish?” She curiously asks, a little grin already curling at how strange this man expresses himself. For some reason, the only thing that comes to mind is basketball with that sound and can’t seem to keep up with the crane operator’s unique choice of words.

“You know…” Still with the knife in hand, Gary waves the utensil in front of him to demonstrate what he means, “Swish! But I can’t do it. I’ve messed up like half this loaf of bread. I just want a sandwich!”

After his explanation, the place grows quiet. Because of this, there’s no way into keeping this question that’s been burning Chloe’s tongue ever since she’s arrived at the kitchen. The older dark-haired girl lightly purses her lips and leans a little closer, resting her elbows against the table. “You really can’t make a sandwich?” Chloe asks in disbelief but intrigued to hear what he’s got to say.

Gary stiffens his lips into a pout, almost like he takes a bit of offense to the question. So what if he can’t cook? His nan has nagged him to practice, but, for some reason, his hands can’t take the challenge to progress his culinary skills. Despite this, he can sure as hell build and fix essential things, “Hey, I’ve trained in a bunch of other skills in my life. Can you operate a crane?” The tattooed blond also leans a bit and arrogantly asks the beautiful instrumentalist.

Chloe faintly lifts her trimmed brown eyebrows to his sarcastic comment and, although she finds his outburst a bit comical, she knows better than to laugh. Then, the elegant hazel-eyed woman brings her unfinished glass of wine near her lips, as her way to cover up the upcoming smile. It’ll give her some time to compose herself, but she knows that won’t last long.

“No, but I’ve also been trained to play multiple instruments. Can you play the cello?” The glamorous girl snarks up a comeback. Now she's the one with the smug tone of voice, especially after seeing Gary’s stumped face deepening. He clamps his mouth shut, now feeling a tad embarrassed for acting up like that. 

“I see Dicky’s rubbed off on you, hun,” Chloe says, half-jokingly. She really doesn’t need another grumpy man today. Jason has already been enough and she can only hope that he stops with the excessive grouchiness. Besides, she’s not normally used to seeing Gary all worked up and, dare she even say, moody.

Gary blinks at the realisation that she’s right. He hasn’t got an idea as to why he’s been almost as bad-tempered as Dicky. They have been hanging around each other as always, but perhaps the whole sandwich situation plus the fight between Priya and Lottie really riled him up. His mouth hangs slightly opened, but closes it as he gulps in the guilt of acting like a proper knob to Chloe, especially when she was generous enough to make him feel better earlier today at the gym; he reckons she doesn’t deserve this type of treatment.

“Sorry, love. I’m just hangry. You know? Hungry and angry…” He gently mutters as his thumb briefly scratches his strong chin that’s covered in golden stubble and ocean hues land at the impeccable sight of a woman that oozes in poise and elegance. “I’ve just not needed to make much food before. My nan usually makes my food for me,” Gary admittedly smiles at the fact that he still has his grandmother cooking for him. Already, he’s prepared to hear Dicky’s partner tease him for that.

The golden-eyed brunette softly hums out a soothing sigh and smiles out her words. “That’s sweet of her,” she compliments, earnestly.

Her voice fills a sincerity that only makes the brawny Chathamite’s heart thump profoundly, particularly to wonder what his nan’s thoughts on the stunning cellist are. It’s such a simple but warm-hearted statement, that the spiky-haired man wipes his mouth to provoke his smile from becoming any more obvious— all because he’s just imagined what it’d be like for his nan and Chloe to have a lovely chat.

“That’s her all over. Temper of thunder, heart of pure gold. She just wants to make sure her family is looked after,” he says with an enthusiastic grin. Athletically built shoulders now loosen to find himself more comfortable chatting a little bit more about his family to her.

There’s a particular shine in her vibrant amber eyes after hearing him describing his nan. Something strange makes his throat lump into knots when pondering if the musician has taken an immediate liking to such a beloved woman in his life. That same sense of comfort from earlier at the gym showers over him and, bloody hell, the blond man can’t deny how much he’s missed it. There’s something about the music expert that makes Gary subconsciously come closer to her, now at a shorter distance where he can freely admire more of her graciously carved facial features.

An easy-going smirk curls on her plush rosy lips of hers while feminine manicured fingers play with the luxurious brown scarf that dangles down to her torso. “I hope you’re thankful, hun. You’re quite lucky to have a devoted grandmother,” she playfully suggests, even though it’s quite apparent how appreciative the blue-eyed crane operator is of having her in his life. Chloe even views it as a sweet quality of his and, to be honest, she never thought he’d be the type. Despite his laddish appearance, every time she catches Gary lovingly chatting people’s ears off about his nan, it brings a smile to her face to know he’s a family man.

His gaze steadies on Chloe’s and brings a serious tone to the turn of the conversation. Gary’s frown lingers before exhaling out what he’s about to crucially reveal. “Each and every day. If you’re not, she makes you stand out in the snow,” the rugged blond states, pensively, almost as if it’s happened to him numerous times.

Astonished amber-coloured irises gently shake with sympathy for Gary, Chloe’s thumb lightly grazing the outline of her bottom lip as she tries to avoid picturing a little boy actually standing out in the icy winters, “Stand in the snow? Really?” The London beauty sadly pouts and drops her shoulders to the disheartening information.

“Yeah, says that’s how she was raised,” Gary effortlessly shrugs his strong shoulders, nonchalant about such a grotesque method to educate a child. “Might sound barmy, but it’s fine.”

Without receiving much of a response from the posh-looking Islander, the pair remains in a deliberate silence. Chloe lowers her head to look down at her high waisted tan dress pants and reflects on such an impactful part of his past. Gary quickly takes a notice of her saddened downturned lips matching with those empathic eyes that lightly gleam for him.

His lashes flicker over his pale skin, surprised that she’s actually fallen for what he’s told her. His lips twist, making the best of his effort to not give into the amusement, but his baritone vocals rumble out an airy laughter, widening a charming smile across his handsome cheekbone structure, “Nah, I’m just pulling your leg, mate. She’s not a monster.”

Chloe blankly gapes her sunny sight at the entertained muscular man, still shocked that she didn’t figure his white lie sooner. Annoyed with herself, she crosses her arms and recoils a disapproving look, but seeing Gary calming his laugh and dwindling to a soft chuckle makes the older dark-haired girl sneak a grin at his playful nature. Her slim shoulders lightly shake after joining the blond lad with a pleased giggle softening her smooth voice.

“You really had me there,” Chloe titters out her naiveness and shakes her head, dumbfounded to have never thought he was going to mess with her like that. But also admires how quick he’s picked on her type of deceiving banter. Her sight follow the Chathamite’s bodily movement, making his way over to the stool that’s next to her and settling on the seat. Clearly, all the attention Gary had for the sandwich is now grasped by Dicky’s partner.

All of the sudden, her stunning golden gaze tentatively intake the skilful detail of the bearded blond’s tattoos. She concludes that each outline and grey shade that contours over his light-coloured skin must’ve taken patient hours to have all of that completed. She proceeds to gently poke on his large forearm, curious at the extensive ink drawn so beautifully.

“You’ve got quite impressive tattoos,” she compliments him, instantly distinguishing a glimmer overtaking his face.

“Yeah? Mate, I’ve got one with my nan’s name,” his voice lightens in mood, but thick masculine eyebrows lift to see Chloe’s surprised face after hearing about the questionable tattoo. She doesn’t say anything about it, wanting to be discreet, but her suppressed smile and never-blinking rapt eyes are sufficient to describe her genuine thoughts on it. “What? She’s an incredible woman,” Gary presses more on his excuse of having his nan’s name stamped on his skin.

“I haven’t said anything about it, hun,” Chloe replies with a short chuckle huffing out of her mouth. The classy Londoner knows that keeping her facial expressions from telling her emotions has always been an issue, since it never tends to work.

“You didn’t have to,” he promptly answers her with complete wit in his deep voice. Gary’s smirk curls in a mischievous manner and comes closer to the gorgeous brunette, his magnetic sight meeting hers. “But, I can show you sometime,” the handsome crane operator never faints his flirtatious smirk and follows his tantalising offer with a cheeky wink.

Chloe’s feminine face is now startled at the sudden change of Gary’s demeanour, catching the petite dark-haired girl off guard. Perhaps she’s reading too much into it, especially when she knows how bold and presumptuous he can be with his banter, but there’s no way to dismiss how unfiltered that short comment was delivered.

Oddly enough for her, Chloe can’t help but feel her high cheekbones grow hotter every given second that passes by with the spiky-haired blond’s fervent eye contact on her. Miraculously, the older brunette somehow manages to break away from the lovely gaze, although there’s something about those cool blue orbs that make her come back to admire them again.

She half smiles and gently giggles out that peculiar zap that’s circling at the core of her covered chest. Trying not to think about it, she continues her chat. “Wouldn’t be a fair trade, mate. I haven’t got any tattoos to share in exchange,” Chloe crooks her neck whilst shrugging in an unfortunate manner of such a weird topic. She still can’t fathom the thought of his bloke having a tattoo with his nan’s name.

“Really? Like, not even a tiny one?” Gary asks, his voice incredulously rings with a subtle disappointment to know they can’t really play the sharing game. As dazzling and posh as she may seem, the crane operator knows she’s got an indisputable spunk in between her gracious traits and unintentionally allures any man’s attention.

Chloe silently shakes her head to answer his question. Her elbow is then positioned over the table’s surface, now the small space of her palm going under her chin and supporting her head’s weight, “When you have a job that has strict dress code regulations, it can be a tad difficult. Besides, even if I wanted to, I doubt I’d be tolerant of needles poking me.”

The young musician lightly shivers at the thought of the prickling sensation coming from those needles. Despite the fact that she’s never been near a tattoo parlour, it’s needless to say that she’ll never visit one for her own torture. Chloe starts to ponder how Gary, Dicky and especially Lottie could find any of that pleasing. The art is surely spectacular, but all she’ll ever do is just admire from afar and find tribute to their high pain tolerance.

“I’d be honoured to hold your hand if you ever get one,” Gary coolly says, with a dashing grin widening the exposure of his neat teeth. “You know, for emotional support.”

For a moment, the cellist can’t quite process his magnetic charm. His deep ludic voice numbs her ears so delicately, and the way Gary has been staring at her makes her heart thump harder against her chest. She mentally shakes off the feeling, thinking it’s perhaps the alcohol constructing such ludicrous ideas. But then, Chloe debunks the blame on the alcohol when she knows one measly cup of wine is insignificant to her stomach. It is all just a fun and light-hearted chat, and it’s going to stay that way.

Then the London girl gives him an unsure look. The corner of her mouth crumples to the idea whilst narrowing her eyes back at him. “Hmm, I dunno if that’s a good idea. I’d surely whine the entire time and your hand would suffer some damages from me squeezing too much,” Chloe gently snickers out her velvet-like voice when realising that she’s just making fun of herself.

The crane operator suggestively stretches his smirk at her, knowing it’s unintentional from her part, but he can’t help but turn the comment over to the naughtier side. There’s no stopping the muscular man’s natural cheekiness from unleashing his tongue as he speaks up, “I don’t mind a little pain, darling.”

Chloe can’t seem to say anything afterwards and just lifts the inner corner of her eyebrows, staggered at how flirtatious the blond’s unflinching responses continue to get. She can’t say she was expecting him to say that to her, and as much as the refined woman wants to dismiss Gary’s playfulness, she can’t deny the liking she’s starting to abide by his smooth-talk. In contrast with Dicky, ever since she’s been coupled up with him, she’s never had _this_ type of banter with him. Her face visibly flusters when the blue-eyed man lingers a pleased grin towards her.

Having no idea how to evaporate this stupid tug that’s been stringing in her sensitive throat, the golden-eyed beauty gentles out a hummed chuckle to calm this terrifying feeling she’s been sensing after her talk with him at the gym. Chloe delivers a small glimpse over to the muscular fair-skinned man next to her, but still makes sure to offer him a small smile, a reserved one, nonetheless. Her fingers swiftly run through her thick layers of chocolate brown locks just as she clears her throat to the silence that surrounds them now.

Gary glides his large fingers down his golden facial hair and his dark pupils steady on the hesitant girl that is sitting next to him. Chloe doesn’t have to say much for him to make him understand that a change of subject is most favourable. His grin gradually fades, replacing it with a small frown dangling at the edge of his lips to remember the chat he had with her at the gym. He wanted to take her advice and apologise to Marisol and, whilst it seems like she was fine afterwards, the brawny man can’t help but recall how awkward he still felt with his partner. On the other hand, with the classical cellist he senses a completely different energy. He feels comfortable with her— like he can talk about anything and she’ll be there for him. Dare he even say, Chloe’s becoming one of the closest people to him in this place.

The athletically built man roughly exhales through his nose, finally deciding to tell his hazel-eyed friend about his current partner. “Things haven’t got any better between me and Marisol. I guess it’s like she said. The spark just isn’t there,” he confesses and defeatedly shrugs.

“Oh, Gary…” The stylish instrumentalist blinks in a change of her amber irises, glossed with empathy for Dicky’s mate.

She subconsciously mimics a similar frown as Gary’s while, instinctively, her body leans towards him and places a warm delicate hand over his wide back. Her fingers immediately feel the bumpy outline of his muscles over his shirt.

She continues to rub his back, soothing out any worries the poor bloke might have about the law student, “Perhaps, you just need to give yourself and her some time. The spark is inevitable, hun. You’ve got to give it some time and I’m sure you’ll feel the spark with her in no time, hm?”

Despite that Chloe is trying to meet his gaze, Gary seems to go quieter after the reassurance. For a second, she grows dubious that she’s even helping but can’t seem to figure out why. She straightens her back at the realisation that this has nothing to do with Marisol. The theatre performer angles her head back to view a silent spiky-haired man crossing his arms, “This is more about Minni, right?” The brunette Londoner simply asks.

The crane operator intently stares at her when mentioning Minerva’s name. For some reason, he thought it would be more difficult to adjust with the Recoupling changes, but seeing her content with Rocco only brings a sense of tranquillity to know that she’s doing fine. At this point, he would be absolutely delighted to still be coupled up with the astrophysics student instead of Marisol, but what matters the most to him is that she’s happy with Rocco. Still, Minni is such a delight to be around and Gary feels that there’s still a good friendship between the two, something that he hopes to keep while he explores his options.

Ever since the crane operator has had the opportunity to get to know Chloe, he’s felt a never-ending desire to spend more time with the captivating woman. The more chats they’ve shared, the more convinced he is of being an absolute twit for fancying his mate’s girl. Even with the smallest exchange of words, he feels light as a feather whether it’s an endearing smile that she gifts or listening to the sweet sound of her lovely laughter. He must constantly remind himself that this is Dicky’s bird and refuses to get in the way of his mate. Despite this, Gary’s thoughts promptly rush to the flashbacks of last night as he remembers the numbness that tingled throughout his skin at the exquisite sensation of Chloe’s touch against his smooth face.

Still with the hazel-eyed girl in mind, Gary nervously laughs and keeps his calm sight dawdling at his shoes. “You know, Minni and I agreed on getting to know everyone in here before settling on someone, so I’ve actually been curious what it’d be like to be coupled up with someone else, if I’m honest,” he wholeheartedly says.

A surprised look cascades on Chloe’s face and her mouth hangs open when trying to absorb the sudden news. This entire time, she’s thought that he was settled on Minni, considering how well they were getting along since day one, but knowing that this is Love Island, anything can happen. Setting aside her shock towards Gary’s confession, an intrigued grin hugs her lightly contoured cheeks and faintly gasps in the eagerness to find out more about the other girl he fancies.

“Really? May I know who this other girl is?” She asks keenly to gain the new details from the Chathamite.

Witnessing her evident thrill to know who else he fancies provokes his mouth to dance around with Chloe’s name, drawn to see her genuine reaction if he utters her as the answer. It would be the perfect moment to see if she would consider him as a possibility, but the bulky bloke decides against it. If Dicky wasn’t coupled up with the stunning cellist, he would directly tell the golden-eyed bird that he well fancies her.

Just as he finishes his thoughts, Gary angles his head to get a better look of the beautiful French-Londoner who is patiently waiting for him to spill the details. The handsome blond half grins and puffs out a witty chuckle. “Mmm, I dunno, mate. I reckon it’ll ruin the mystery if I tell you,” Gary fixes a knowing wink to instantly hear a soft scoff escaping her mouth, “But I _can_ tell you she’s a bit of me.”

Chloe raises a questioning eyebrow and stubbornly crosses her arms, clearly displeased with Gary’s answer. The answer is completely anticlimactic and as much as she comprehends where he’s coming from, it’s still a cheap shot. “And I thought we were becoming good mates,” she profoundly pouts out her crestfallen words.

The muscular man splutters a regretful sigh, afraid that he’s upset the posh woman because of this. He hops off his seat and steps a bit closer to the petite brunette, not knowing how else to fix his stupidity. There’s a bit of discomfort that dims across those crystal blue eyes, matching a long frown gravitating the ends of his lips, “N-No, but we _are_!”

Chloe tightens her plump lips together, hoping that her staged resentful face stays plastered a little longer before she bursts into laughter. Initially, she was a little bit annoyed not knowing who the girl was, but hearing how distressed Gary is about her fuming is too precious for her. For some reason, it’s delightfully refreshing to see a bloke that exemplifies the definition of masculinity turn out to be incredibly gullible to a lot of things.

Breaking into a playful smile, Chloe presses manicured fingertips over her entertained giggle. Vivid canary-coloured orbs see a concerned man looking down at her with a merciful gaze. “Don’t beat yourself up! I’m just teasing you, Gary. You can tell me who you fancy whenever you feel ready,” she thoughtfully affirms with a nod.

Glad to hear that the dazzling hazel-eyed woman wasn’t actually upset at him, the blond crane operator relaxes his wide frame from the tension. A nervous chuckle swirls through Gary’s teeth and carefully grazes his fingers against the inked side of his neck, scratching out his apprehension towards the subject. As much as he appreciates how understanding she’s being, it pains the blond Chathamite to know that it will always remain a secret. He could never tell Chloe how much he fancies her, especially when she’s in one of the most solid couples here; and not with just any chap— but with his close mate. He just can’t do that to the older couple, not when they’ve been doing exceptionally great.

His ocean-coloured eyes gape closely at the sudden seriousness that graces Chloe’s polished face. She shakes her head and sighs out her buried sentiments, as if she’s also had something bothering her. “As for me, I haven’t got a clue if Dicky _really_ fancies me. According to him, I’m tolerable,” a light chitter fills the air but notices that Gary doesn’t follow along with any laughter. It’s like he noticed that she was trying to cover her genuine worry about Jason with the following shrug of her shoulders.

“Oi, come on now, love. He’s just being an arse like always but I reckon he likes you a lot,” Gary offers her an earnest smile, hoping that it masks how much it hurts him to know Dicky is making her feel like this. Although he’s aware the mechanic would never hurt Chloe’s feelings, he also knows that his indifferent behaviour can cause conflicts like these.

Chloe tilts her head to Gary’s direction, lifting her chin to get a better view of the crane operator. She faintly snorts out a doubtful exhale when she’s been seeing the complete opposite with that grumpy man. It’s almost like Jason’s grown impatient with whatever she does or says, “I would love to believe you but have you seen how grouchy he’s been with me today?” The elegant woman sinks in her chair with a heavier frown dominating her lips.

At first, things seemed to have been going just fine with the tall raven-haired man, but Chloe couldn’t figure out why he’s been acting so snarky lately. The classical cellist has been trying her best to choose her words carefully with him, but it seems like anything she does or say irritates Dicky and only responds with short grumbles. Chloe decides not to think about it much, especially considering that anyone deserves a bit of space if they’re not having a good day. Overall, the London girl knows that she’s happy to be coupled up with Dicky, but the talk about ‘the spark’ with the girls and Gary really had her contemplating her situation with the handsome mechanic. At this point, even with the kiss they’ve shared, she needs to acknowledge that she hasn’t felt anything with him. And it scares her to think she hasn’t slightly developed any feelings for Jason when he’s clearly her type on paper: the humour, his physique, his energy— Dicky should be the ideal bloke to fall for. Chloe shakes away the preposterous thoughts and remembers that she’s definitely not one to rush things. In fact, the classy dark-haired girl is the type to befriend a man first, take things slow, and eventually take the next step if there’s any potential in obtaining a relationship with someone. There’s absolutely no way she’d ever rush into a relationship, just the thought of doing that frightens her heart away from possibly getting hurt.

“He’s been grouchy with _everyone_ ,” Gary huffs out his deep voice into a light-hearted chuckle.

He can’t explain why but he finds the need to pull the stressed musician into a comforting hug and feels the urge to ease out any doubt she has. His strong arms engulf Chloe’s small figure, with his wide frame swallowing her entire existence. Gary can feel the petite woman slither her gracious hands up his back to return the hug and an undeniable jolt of electricity swivels within his blood to know it’s her simple touch that makes his skin heat up like this. It’s the same bloody feeling he felt with her earlier today at the gym and what’s worse is that this time, it feels more powerful than before. It all might be in his head, but he can even feel Chloe’s delightful exhale warmly coating his shirt before laying her weightless head against his broad shoulder.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s just not himself today, is all,” Gary reassures. His deep baritone voice vibrates near the musician’s ears and devours the richness of his supportive words.

She concludes that he’s completely right; Dicky has been insufferable with everyone and it’s not just her. Surely, it must be because he is still trying to shrug off the resentment he has for Lottie since their argument this morning. Perhaps by tomorrow, the mechanic will be more approachable than today.

“I really hope you’re right. Otherwise, he’ll be hearing from me,” the older sophisticated woman chortles her silky vocals rhythmically.

Still surrounded in Gary’s muscular arms, Chloe tries her very best to avoid this unwanted tightness that keeps insisting in her gut but, as much as she wants to disregard such a mesmerising tingle, the theatrical musician must admit that she’s only ever felt this with certain men from her past. Feeling upset with herself, she pushes her thoughts again to believe that she’s just being silly, there goes Gary’s big hand intimately running up her arm and an involuntary gasp sharply fills her lungs with feebleness— a sensation the classy brunette was hoping to feel with Dicky when they had shared a kiss, but instead, it’s his blond bulky mate who’s taking her breath away. Denial is the only emotion that hovers in her head; denial to think that she’d actually start _fancying_ a bloke like Gary.

She decides to pull away from their hug, her entire existence numbs to no longer sense his wonderful body heat encompassing her lightly curved figure. The glamorous young woman clears her throat, aligning her poised shoulders and, from a close proximity, she lingers a mindful gaze at a blue-eyed man carrying a gratified grin across those beautifully shaped lips.

Chloe faintly squints the outer corners of her eyelids, creating a bit of a wrinkle to her neutral-coloured eyeshadow. A small smile slightly outlines her envious high cheekbones and creates small dimples pinched on each cheek, “Is it just me or do we always end our chats in hugs?” The Londoner teases.

With a charming smirk that widens at the sight of Dicky’s stunning partner playfully rolling her eyes to such a straightforward statement, Gary ardently replies, “I’m kind of starting to like your cuddles, sweetheart.”

**In the roof terrace – Night-time.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1bbk3Ul3YY)

“You okay, babes?” Minni’s light voice can be heard from the terrace’s door.

Before turning her head around, Lottie rapidly attempts to dry the wetness below her eyes. Then, she sees the young brunette’s petite frame standing next to the door, looking back at her with a concerned expression on her freckled face. Despite the blue-eyed girl always being friendly to her, Lottie doesn’t think this is the best moment to be approached by her, considering what happened between her and Gary yesterday after the Recoupling. Now, besides having betrayed Hannah, who had a crush on Gary, she feels like she has also been a bad friend to such a nice girl like Minni, because she probably still fancies Gary too; her feeling of guilt comes in stronger when she realizes that the physics student is the only girl in this place who has made the attempt to reach out to her. Because of this, the Aussie decides to put on a façade and pretend to be fine, expecting her to go away.

“Always, babe,” the blonde girl simply responds, flashing a crooked smile.

In response, Minni smiles back and goes to sit next to her on the bench, crossing her slim and milky-white legs. The younger Islander doesn’t push Lottie to say anything else, but tries to meet her green eyes so she can figure out how bad the situation really is; Minerva is used to putting on a happy face when she’s sad, so this is one of the things she easily spots other people doing.

After the Slime Challenge ended with major and unnecessary drama between Priya and Lottie, and then the girls interrupted her chat with Dicky by arriving at the kitchen in a loud argument, Minni knew that someone had to diffuse the drama before it got worse. While Bobby is making company to a stressed Priya by the swimming pool, the astrophysics student resorted to going upstairs in search of Lottie. And now that she spotted the blonde girl sitting alone, with a crumpled tissue in one hand, she can’t allow herself to leave and pretend that she didn’t see her.

Minni always has this unsettling feeling when seeing someone having a hard time and, on top of it, going through it alone. Deep within, she is not aware that this comes by the fact that most of the times she’s felt down in her recent life had been just like this— her, all alone, attempting to put a content face so nobody notices. Perhaps, she’s also compensating because she would’ve liked someone to be there for her during those few moments.

In addition to this and sometimes to take the attention away from her issues, Minni is always readily available to take the time to help her friends and loved ones sort out their emotional turmoil. Doing that can make her feel like she’s really in touch with her feelings, when, in reality, she unconsciously uses it to avoid her own. She’s not too aware of her bad habit, and the fact that she always gets a sentiment of fulfilment when she is able to help people and make them feel better prevents her to stop doing it.

It takes just a couple of seconds of Minni just sitting in a comforting silence for Lottie to let out a small sniffle. A bit embarrassed of having the brunette girl seeing her crying like this, she turns her face away slightly and dries a couple of tears with the back of her slender and pale fingers, trying not to mess up her over the top makeup.

“I must look so pathetic right now,” the Aussie murmurs.

“Not at all, Lottie,” Minni is quick to respond, meeting her eyes.

“I appreciate you being nice… as always,” the other girl admits. She keeps quiet for a moment before deciding to explain her side of the story. “Some of what Priya said really got to me. I don’t cry. This isn’t what I do. I’m not this person.”

Despite Lottie being always bold and confrontational, Minni feels genuine pity for her. The blue-eyed girl doesn’t like seeing people cry, and less knowing that they’re kind of lonely when doing so. She knows Lottie must be a solitary girl on the outside world, a girl with few friends, because of her somewhat harsh character. Although Minni agrees with Priya about the blonde girl making cliques and wanting to control people, she wants to see beyond that, and wonders if she does that because she is scared of friends abandoning her too soon, her behaviour being an attempt to tie them to her somehow. It’s a cycle though, the astrophysics student reckons, because those same attitudes lead people to defriend her rather early in the first place.

“You have all the rights to cry when you feel upset,” Minni says gently. “But you don’t have to do it alone. That’s why I came here to make you company.”

Deep on the inside, Lottie feels so thankful for those words and so grateful to have her here but, at the same time, the younger girl’s kindness starts brewing an irrational bitterness deep within her. The Aussie begins to slowly be irritated at Minni for being so good to her when she doesn’t have to, when in reality the blonde is irritated at herself because she feels that she doesn’t deserve it, particularly because she has never returned the favour.

“You didn’t really take a side earlier, though,” the makeup artist replies with an annoyed scold.

Even when the older girl is aiming at pushing her buttons, Minni swallows her annoyance at her response, feeling especially irritated because she’s being nice to Lottie when nobody else is. While this bottling up can diffuse volatile situations, it can also fester inside Minni, because most of the times she doesn’t say everything she wants to say.

“Why would I do that when you both were in the wrong?” Minerva shrugs, keeping her cool. “Yes, Priya didn’t have to rub against Noah or whatever, but you didn’t have to have a go at her either, or not in the way you did, anyway.”

Next, Lottie rolls her eyes. “What was I supposed to do? Keep quiet?”

“Of course not, babes. But maybe not start attacking her in the kitchen after it was over. Just calling her out in the challenge was enough, at least in my opinion,” the physics student replies, determined. “It’s not like she went and kissed him or something. It wasn’t a big deal,” she continues, as she smooths her deep blue jumpsuit. “Besides, it was part of the challenge. We were all rubbing against each other,” she adds with a smirk at the memory, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. “I even got into Marisol’s business just for fun.”

With an exasperated sigh, the Aussie shakes her head. “And in Gary’s too. And pretty much everyone else’s, for that matter,” she points out, shooting her a poisonous glare.

“What can I say? I know how to have fun,” Minni shrugs again, cheeky. She will most definitely not let Lottie bring her spirits down, not when her day has been good so far. “It was just a _challenge_ , Lottie.”

Her last statement makes the other Islander scoff, not wanting to admit that the freckled girl is right and making sense. A short but now also tense silence follows, with Lottie fumbling with the tissue she’s had in her hand since she came up here.

“As I said, Priya is not a bad person, and it can’t be easy feeling like everyone’s talking about you just because you arrived last,” the brunette decides to continue speaking, to see if she can make Lottie understand where she’s coming from. “She’s actually an honest person, I reckon.”

“Is it really that much better to be betrayed to my face rather than my back?” the makeup artist spits out, knowing perfectly that she’s being a hypocrite right now, for having kissed Gary when she knew her friend Hannah liked him, right after the ginger got dumped from the Island.

Minni nods confidently, “Well, yeah. I’d rather have her tell me she wanna try it with my guy at my face rather than seeing her sneaking around. At least she owned it when you called her out on it.”

Not being willing to agree with the younger girl just yet, Lottie looks up at the sky in annoyance, a long breath escaping her dark-painted lips. “In that case, just, like, don’t betray me at all!” She exclaims next. “I’m sorry, but show some kind of remorse, don’t be so insensitive about it all?”

After her outburst, she meets Minni’s eyes and recognizes the same serious glare she saw on her face this morning, when she was trying to stop her bickering with Dicky. Lottie guesses that those are rare times in which the blue-eyed girl gets actually angry, or close to it. This doesn’t make her regret what she just said, less calms her down and makes her stop, “It just makes it feel like she’s not here for love. This could be my only chance to find the one.”

The Cantabrigian keeps quiet, now not just because she’s bottling up irritation or because she doesn’t know what to say, because she remembers that she isn’t exactly here for love either— Minni came to have fun and meet new people, not precisely dreaming of finding Mr. Right.

“Priya wants the same thing,” the brunette ends up replying, standing her ground.

“Please, she doesn’t need any help. Guys fall on their knees for her,” Lottie answers, noticeably resentful. “Like, maybe she should give the rest of us a chance.”

Her statement makes Minni shake her head in disappointment, now feeling sorrier for the blonde’s way of thinking than angry because she’s being unnecessarily poisonous. The blue-eyed will never understand why some girls are quick to see other women as competition instead of a good net of support.

“Babes,” the physics student stops Lottie on her tracks, placing a gentle hand on her heavily tattooed thigh. “If your man, the man you think is _the one_ , drops you because something happened in a dumb challenge or because of another girl, in this case Priya, then he’s simply not the one. If he does it in here, I guarantee you that he will do it on the outside too, with another girl.”

“You’re…” The blonde tries to argue against that, but she can’t. She ends up sighing. “… actually making a lot of sense. Maybe I should give her more of a chance. But I’m not going to be her friend.”

“Whatever you please,” Minni smirks, pleased by having been able to talk sense to her. “This went better than I expected, if I’m honest."

There’s a brief pause, as Lottie ponders her next move. “I guess I should go talk to Priya now,” the blond whines after a few seconds of thinking it through. She takes a deep breath and stands up, her pastel pink coloured hair blowing slightly because of the small breeze of the evening, “See you later, babes.”

The younger girl’s bright cobalt eyes meet hers as she says goodbye with her small hand. Minni follows her with a calm expression until the Aussie disappears behind the door.

Once Lottie is gone, Minni settles more comfortably on the bench, hoarding all the pillows to place against her back and to support her head. She ends up lying across the extension of the larger seat and looking up at the sky, which has turned pitch black by now. The young woman often finds peace while looking at the stars and trying to spot different sets of constellations, waves of knowledge about their respective compositions, spectra, galaxy of origin washing through her mind, also while she tries to come in terms with the thought that she doesn’t know how she will cope with all the drama that’s bound to happen in this place. As much as Minni is successful at keeping her cool, she knows that all of the bad emotions she keeps to herself can erupt with the right pull of a string.

The blue-eyed girl is so immersed in her thoughts that she almost doesn’t notice the door clicking open, the sound making her sight go from the sky towards the entrance just to see a muscular blond man appear cautiously. A wide smile spreads across his face when he sees her lying on the bench.

“Alright, Mins?” Gary grins, being actually surprised to see her by herself. The crane operator is well aware that Minni is rarely without company in this Villa, people always approaching her to chat. “I never expected to find you alone in here.”

The girl’s cobalt eyes twinkle under the moonlight as she turns to lie on her side to face him. “Well, Lottie’s just left. I was talking sense to her after the challenge’s drama,” she explains. “She’s on her way to have a chat with Priya now,” the young woman informs, proud of herself.

“A true peacekeeper, you are,” Gary replies, throwing her a wink. Then, he takes a few steps towards her. “Mind if I keep you company for a bit?”

“Sure,” Minni answers, sitting up to make room for his bulky frame. The blue-eyed pair hasn’t had alone time since they Recoupled, even since before that. Both are not good at pulling people for chats, so Minni reckons it makes sense, with this being the perfect opportunity to find out where Gary’s head is at right now. She feels like she should tell him that she’s planning on putting most of her eggs on Rocco’s basket for now, for the sake of giving the curly haired Islander an opportunity. As the muscular man sits down beside her and makes himself comfortable, the physics student decides to ask, “What’s brought you here, Gar?”

A heavy sigh escapes Gary’s lips. “I tried to hang out with Dicky for a bit, but he’s being insufferable— he often is, I just don’t know what’s happened that made him even moodier than usual,” he informs, scratching his beard. “I’m his best mate, but even I can’t handle him when he gets like that. I reckon Chloe also decided to leave him to it and hang out with Priya and Rahim instead.”

His declaration makes Minni blink in confusion. “Moodier than usual? He seemed fine when I talked to him right before I came up here. I mean, fine for Dicky’s standard grumpiness. And he was also fine when talked to him this afternoon.”

“You’ve been talking to him?” The blond man can’t help showing his surprise by the fact that Minni doesn’t look bothered by his mate’s bitter behaviour of today. He wonders how Jason must feel when talking to her after failing on having picked her at the Recoupling; he hasn’t mentioned that to his older friend, and Gary is not sure if the mechanic decided to move on to Chloe and give up on getting to know Minni, possibly still under his stubborn argument that they’re too different to be a potential match.

The Cantabrigian nods with a smile. “Yeah. He’s actually really easy to talk to, at least when he opens up a bit. We even got into a chat about feelings and that kind of stuff,” she responds, nonchalant.

For a moment, Gary thinks his ears are deceiving him— he thought he’d never hear a bird saying the phrases ‘easy to talk to’, ‘open up’ and ‘chat about feelings’ regarding Jason, less all in the same sentence. “Chat about feelings? With Dicky?” he sputters, incredulous. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? You’re referring to _that_ Jason Emsworth, right?”

His reaction makes the young woman giggle. She knows about the mechanic’s problem on opening up, but she never guessed that his mate would be so shocked to hear that she managed to get him talking a bit. “I think so,” she says, a bright smile curling her pink lips. “Tall bloke, green-hazel eyes, slit eyebrow, dark beard, wing tattoo… that Jason, right? Please don’t tell me he’s actually another lad, because I’ve been calling him Jason since I met him, and I’ll be proper embarrassed on national TV if I’ve had the boys’ names mixed up this whole time.”

Gary chuckles at the girl’s banter. “I reckon that lad you’re speaking of is Noah, mate. You proper embarrassed yourself, indeed.”

“Well, shit,” Minni fakes a sigh, and follows with a chuckle.

Her laugh makes the crane operator follow suit, a cackle escaping his lips. When his laughter dies down, his features turn more serious progressively, at the memory of his best friend’s grouchy character. He knows from experience how hard it is to crack that defensive shell of his, and being told that Minni’s made it quite a bit after four days of knowing him baffles him. He doesn’t know if Chloe has managed to do that just yet, but hopes she has, since he is almost sure that the hazel-eyed pair is sticking with each other now, as much as it hurts him to acknowledge it.

“I guess I’m just surprised about what you just told me because Jason is not the easiest bloke to chat to, less one that opens up to people easily,” Gary admits to Minni, sincerely.

“I know, he’s told me that too,” she breathes out and pouts slightly. The physics student can see preoccupation on Gary’s crystal blue eyes, so she places a gentle hand on his broad shoulder. “But I’m sure that, with time, he will also feel comfortable with other people in here. Maybe Chloe will manage to get him to open up, if she hasn’t already,” the brunette smiles, hopeful. “They seem pretty solid so far.”

Her affirmation, although is aimed at lifting his spirits on Dicky maybe forming friendships in here, ends up stinging a bit when he realizes that Minni is right about his mate and Chloe; the pair looks solid as of now, and even if they don’t look romantic so far, they were also one of the two couples who stuck together after yesterday’s Recoupling. It seems like his chances of getting to know Chloe as more than a mate are slimmer with every day that passes. At least, the blond man thinks, his mate is suited with an amazing bird.

“Yeah,” Gary answers, trying to mimic Minni’s light-hearted smile.

The blue-eyed girl makes a pause, taking a moment to look at the handsome crane operator. Suddenly, she remembers the events of earlier today. “Speaking of couples, how are you and Marisol going?” she asks, curious.

After hearing her question, the Chathamite’s smile fades slightly. A sigh gets drawn out of his mouth. “Not as I expected, if I’m honest,” he confesses, his large hand going up to rub the back of his neck. “She said she wasn’t feeling the spark with me,” Gary adds, his lips forming a thin line to show how disillusioned he feels by the idea.

When realizing that the blond man is still a little bummed out, Minni suddenly remembers today’s Slime Challenge and Marisol’s uncomfortable face as she rubbed herself against Gary. The brunette girl feels sorry for him, knowing that the attraction between him and the law student could be not mutual anymore. Next, Minni remembers the cheeky grin on his face when she got close instead, and slowly shimmied up and down his bulky body; she didn’t do it just for fun, though, because she needed the red colour on him to mix it with Rocco’s blue and make purple anyway. The physics student feels actually happy for making him feel better, regardless of being insecure about him being the one she wants to stick with.

“Don’t feel bad about it. Sometimes the spark takes its time,” the brunette reassures, softly. Despite still being quite worried, she also recalls Dicky saying that Gary is genuinely fine, so she decides to take a gentler approach and not go over the top with her words, choosing to trust the mechanic’s judgement about the situation. “I’m sure things will be alright,” she chooses to add, a sincere tone in her silky voice, just hoping everything turns out fine for the blond man. Before Gary can respond, a cheeky glimmer appears in her gaze, turning her soft expression in a teasing one, “Although bragging about ‘ninja bits’ wasn’t a great way to begin with, if you ask me.”

“Oh, Mins, please don’t start,” the crane operator whines, his lips curling up a bit at her banter. He knows the student is not being serious about it, but he has had enough about the topic. “I already got Dicky _and_ Chloe nagging me for that,” the man states with a groan. “I know it was a bad move on my end, and I’ve apologized to Marisol for it.”

“Good, because I was ready to scold you too if you hadn’t,” the blue-eyed girl replies, easy-going. After this, she notices that Dicky was right; the blond seems to be fine, not beyond being embarrassed by what happened this morning, and actually able to take banter.

Her soft-spoken attempt of a threat makes Gary let out a chuckle. There’s a pause, in which blue irises meet— even when they agreed in getting to know other people, it’s still hard for him to decipher where Minni’s head is at; this bird could fancy pretty much anyone in this place, and the blond man wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

“And how’s it going with Rocco?” he asks, breaking the silence.

His voice has a tint of hesitancy, not having a clue on what Minni is going to say. Gary doesn’t know what he would do if the blue-eyed girl was to decide that she prefers him over Rocco, since this would only confuse him more regarding his attraction to Chloe. Surely, he still finds the physics student attractive and interesting enough to want to get to know her, but now that the crane operator has started getting flirty with the classical cellist, he feels like he can’t just switch off the liking he has taken on her either. For now, he feels trapped between his desire, the fact that he is in a couple with Marisol and that, to top it all off, one of the birds he fancies the most in here is actually his best mate’s partner. The truth is, Gary has no clue how to move forward from this position.

“Kind of good so far,” the brunette responds, sounding confident and honest. She is seeing this as the perfect opportunity to let Gary know that she will try to stick to Rocco for now, for the sake of staying loyal to her couple and in hopes to find a spark in him. “The only thing that throws me off is that he doesn’t seem to get my jokes. He can’t quite keep up with banter, so it gets awkward sometimes,” Minni explains, the corners of her smile falling a little at today’s brunch embarrassing moment. “But, anyways, I reckon he’s fun to be around and he tries really hard, so I might as well give him a chance and see if a spark appears, you know.”

The crane operator’s look lights up at her words, particularly at how genuine they seem and how her thinking is pretty much the same as his. It’s good to know where Minni’s head is at, as Gary still wants to explore his options and, even if things are not working too well with Marisol, give his couple a chance. He understands that both, him and Minerva, are light-hearted people that go along with the flow, so they won’t force anything in their relationships if they end up not working. For now, it looks like there’s an agreement on both ends of the previously coupled blue-eyed pair to remain as just friends as long as they’re trying to work things out with their respective partners.

“I’m glad it’s going well so far,” Gary says, a beam appearing on his face. “I reckon Rocco deserves the chance, as much as Marisol does… especially after how I embarrassed myself today.”

For a moment, Gary ponders the idea of telling Minni that he’s also been fancying Chloe quite a lot, but his trail of thought gets interrupted by the blue-eyed girl’s tug on his plaid sleeve.

“Come on, stop thinking about that, mate. It will only make you doubt yourself,” Minni tells him, concerned. Her mind rapidly tries to think of something to get the crane operator’s mind out of this morning’s fiasco. The physics student thinks that, more than bringing the topic back to surface and getting Gary to talk about how he feels, it’s best to help him just forget about all that’s gone down. “How about we stargaze? That always makes me feel better,” she offers, kindly.

An at ease and relaxed smile settles on Gary’s face as he accepts her offer, both arranging the different coloured and patterned pillows until they’re comfortable to start looking at the sky. All the bad moments and worries that this day has brought to the crane operator’s mind seem to vanish into thin air of the night, as both pairs of blue eyes get fixed on the sky, Minni’s soft voice filling the roof terrace’s atmosphere as her plumped lips spill out knowledge about the celestial bodies above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are definitely getting spicier with each chapter :o and there's much more drama to come. also, quick announcement here｡･:*:･ﾟ★ we got the Dicky character commissioned by awesome artist smaiihands/dernonchild :3 i'll be leaving the link to her reddit post here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fuseboxgames/comments/gy62ri/im_so_excited_to_share_this_character_design_i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x] in case you want to check him out ;) she literally made our Dicky dreams come true and she's incredibly talented, so also make sure to check out the rest of her art.  
> as always, thanks to all the people who comment and leave kudos. see you guys next chapter✿  
> -cassiahalley.


	7. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quiet mechanic leans forward to settle his elbows above his thighs and nervously shakes a knee, when realising that he’ll eventually have to tell Chloe that he doesn’t feel anything for her. Normally, his indifferent self wouldn’t really think twice before telling a bird that he’s not interested nor that he reciprocates any romantic feelings, but imagining how he could potentially break the beautiful Londoner’s heart rushes an undesired sting at the back of his throat— she surely deserves better, better than a lad who fancies her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 😭 😭 😭 😭 You wouldn't believe how much we've missed posting and we're back with Day 5 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 So we have the arrival of our favorite duo Lucas and Henrik and they've come into shake things up in the Villa 👀 With these two guys coming in, there's definitely gonna be some interesting interactions with our four protagonists haha 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter. As always, it's a pleasure sharing ideas and collaborating with the genius of cassiahalley 😌 And a huge thank you for the people that continue to follow this story 💛 You guys are so amazing and it always warms our hearts every time we get kudos, hits, and comments 😭 thank you again!! 
> 
> -mrsgaryrennell

**Day 5**

**In the bedroom – Morning.**

The bright rays of sunlight peek into the dimmed communal bedroom, particularly aiming at Chloe’s slumbered face. Her gracious facial features slightly wince to feel the heat from the disturbing beam, making her squirm under the shared duvet with an unconscious Jason right next to her. Trying to dismiss the vibrant colour illuminating her face, the musician’s eyelids tighten and remain closed, only hoping that the sunlight leaves her in peace. After waiting a few minutes, it seems like the sun is as stubborn as Chloe, growing in brightness over her. A soft groan flows out of her full lips and she flickers her hazel eyes, annoyed that she couldn’t easily fall asleep again. Her slender hand hovers over her face to shield the sensitivity of the sunrays and decides that it’s a better idea to sit up.

Chloe settles her elbows on each side and swiftly pushes her upper body to sit up, resting her back against the cool headboard. After briefly stretching out her night’s rest, a soft yawn heaves out of her mouth. Her head, then, angles to the side to have a view of her raven-haired partner, who’s sound asleep. His dark eyebrows are scrunched together along with a mouth half-opened, grunting out unpleasant snores, and fresh saliva gradually staining his pillow. The posh woman arches her eyebrows in disbelief at how she’s even tolerated to share a bed with this man. She’s not much of a picky person, but Dicky can be a whole predicament if he had to share a bed with someone who could nag him about such grotesque sleeping habits.

By making the best of her effort of not disturbing the mechanic’s rest, Chloe cautiously slips out of the warm covers and pushes her bare feet into her slippers before ambling her legs over to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She takes some time to finish her morning routine and then takes a short walk to one of her favourite parts of the Villa: the rooftop terrace. There’s a wonderful seclusion that can’t be retrieved anywhere else here and it’s just a perfect spot to swim in silence and some kind of individual serenity.

Pushing the door open, Chloe can instantly feel the gentle breeze of the morning’s cool grazing her skin into light goosebumps. As she settles her elegant figure at one of the available seats, the distant sound of birds beautifully chirping a gorgeous melody makes the classical cellist stretch a pleased smile. It’s only been about a week since the last time she’s laid a finger on an instrument, and she can’t help but acknowledge how much she misses playing music. Listening to those birds singing their vocals so rhythmically brings a special delight to the beginning of the day. It’s not like she’ll be able to get much time of her own later when she’s always surrounded by the rest of the Islanders.

The quiet atmosphere warmly embraces the dark-haired girl’s thoughts until an unfamiliar distanced voice disrupts her silence, “I can’t believe we’re really here!”

Careful to not move a single muscle, the classy woman stays still for a moment and isn’t exactly sure if she just made up that voice in her head. Bright pupils move from one empty seat to another as she blinks in anticipation to hear that voice again.

“Tell me about it! I can’t wait to meet the girls...” another masculine voice responds, enthusiastically.

Without much thought to her immediate reaction after hearing another man, the beautiful musician squints the outer corner of her eyes out of astonishment. Her plush lips slightly part to take a bit of a breather as assumptions start to race in her mind.

“Okay, I’m not _that_ crazy,” Chloe utters to herself.

Curiosity builds up within the London girl while she scoots closer to the corner of the rooftop terrace’s view. It’s not hard to miss two very handsome men socialising near the pool. There’s a tall blond with impressive long locks dripping wet and he’s wiping off the pool’s water off his pale arms. Next, her dazed sight shifts inevitably over to the tanned, dark-haired man sitting at the edge of the pool with his legs submerged in the refreshing water.

Chloe draws in her hand near her mouth, her slim fingers covering her dangling jaw to such a gobsmacked view. Her widened bright eyes can’t seem to look away, the tantalising image of the two new blokes displaying themselves so nicely for the sun’s radiance.

“Oh my days…” her voice trails off into a whisper.

Feeling a tad overwhelmed to know that there are two new boys joining the Villa, the hazel-eyed woman has an urge to tell someone about what she’s just discovered; there’s no way she can keep this to herself nor brave enough to go meet them alone. Even though it’s probable that everyone’s still sound asleep, an instinctive idea begins to convince the classy cellist to alert Minerva about the two new arrivals.

Whilst it being a short distance from the rooftop terrace to the bedroom, it almost feels like it’s taking longer than usual for Chloe to arrive at her destination. When she gets there, the older brunette sneaks a glance past the threshold of the darkened communal room. It looks like everyone is still in deep slumber.

Remaining as quiet as possible, the musician tiptoes her way in the narrow pathway and angles her head to spot the line of beds with a few masked faces poking out from under their sheets. All her unfortunate ears can hear for now is the undeniable sound of Noah’s snoring along with Gary’s occasional hiccups weirdly syncing with Dicky’s muffled groans.

Eventually arriving at Minni’s bed, she comes over to one side of the mattress and kneels to level with her younger friend. With the most discreet way possible, Chloe leans in to make sure only the student can hear her.

“Minni, wake up,” the cellist quietly whispers, but a pout gravitates over mouth to see the freckled girl not responding. Next, Chloe lands a hand on her friend’s shoulder and lightly shakes her awake to finally hear a hummed sigh.

“Wha—?” She questions with disoriented half-opened eyes.

Before revealing anything, Chloe’s vigilant sight scans around to spot if anyone might’ve woken up already, but, thankfully, the room remains the same. Then, she turns her attention back to Minerva and watches how she rubs the back of her fingers against her bleary pale eyelids. There’s absolutely no way to hide the strange excitement glowing in the posh woman’s eyes.

“There’s a couple of new boys out at the pool,” the Londoner breathes out the last bit of her whisper with a smile gracing her high cheekbones.

Without much effort, Minni widens her shocked cobalt-coloured eyes at the sound of such appealing news. She distinctively trades her tired frown for a widened smile and mouths out a ‘no way’ phrase over to her older friend.

Excited, the younger girl rubs her eyes a bit more to definitely wake herself up. Even if she’s planning on sticking with Rocco for as long as they have to stay in a couple, and is determined to give him an opportunity to see if a spark develops between the two, Minni wouldn’t miss the chance of meeting new people, less two new boys.

Keeping the same grin in place, the physics student energetically pushes the covers off her and swings her exposed legs over to the side of the bed, “Well, what are _we_ still doing here? There’s a couple of boys waiting for us.”

**At the lawn - Morning.**

The sun continues to shimmer over the soft rapids of clear blue waves from the pool with the new boys scanning around the Villa. It remains empty with not a single Islander to join them soak in the daylight. Surely, they’ve only been in here for a short while but anxiousness to meet the others heightens, especially when personally meeting the girls.

“It’ll be proper weird chatting everyone up when you’re used to watching them on the telly,” Henrik eases out a huffed chuckle just as his aquamarine eyes shift over to the other man.

Lucas encourages his new friend’s comment with a smile and nods. “They seem quite the friendly lot,” he simply adds to the talk.

“Minerva’s real sound, mate. She has to be the nicest girl in the Villa. I reckon me and her will get along well,” the blond’s voice perks in excitement after bringing up the mention of the astrophysics student. He’s sure the rest of the girls are amiable, but Minni’s energy is the type to bring the good out of people and, ever since watching her on the TV, there’s no denying he fancies her. She’s definitely his type, at least personality-wise, and he’s sure he’s her type too.

“And she has quite the graft skills,” Lucas smirks over to the slender bloke. He reckons that just through the TV screen, the blue-eyed girl could make anyone blush with her naturally long lashes fluttering her charms away. Besides, there’s no denying that Minerva is one of the public favourites.

As the idea that they’ll be finally meeting the beautiful women of the Villa sinks, Lucas can’t help but acknowledge the unique radiance Chloe brings into this place as well. In his opinion, not having the Londoner as part of the show really wouldn’t be the same. Despite her refined clothing and elegant beauty, the public’s instantly fallen for her contrasting quirky personality; from people-watching to having a peculiar obsession for her skin and food, the internet loves her.

A light poke is felt from Henrik’s finger and makes Lucas blink out his ponders. The dark-haired man lowers his gaze at the blond and arches an eyebrow to see a knowing look overtake the Swedish Islander.

“So…? I’m sure there’s already a girl you have your eye on?” the climbing instructor curiously asks.

At his question, Lucas lightly bites his bottom lip. Whilst attempting to keep himself from forming too much of a pleased grin, his dark eyes crinkle to the gesture.

The moment he began watching Love Island, the classical cellist captivated his interest and, after knowing he’d be joining the cast, the physiotherapist couldn’t let go of the opportunity to get to know her. After all, she’s seemingly the type of woman he’d go for.

Although Lucas’ come in here with the intention of keeping his cards close to his chest, a short-defeated sigh heaves out of his full lips. Admittedly, it’s only fair for his new friend to know who he’s after, “Oh, very well, then. I must say I’m looking forward to conversing with Chloe. I can see myself going after someone like her.”

After hearing his confession, Henrik raises his eyebrows. There’s an astounding determination in Lucas’ voice and he doesn’t seem to care one bit that she’s coupled up with Dicky, who looks like such a menacing bloke through the screen. Even if Chloe may appear to be an easy target because her and Jason haven’t really been the most romantic couple, they _are_ one of the few that have remained together since the beginning of the show.

“Ah, so the posh one, huh? I can’t blame you, mate. She’s stunning,” Henrik encouragingly responds, interested to know if the hazel-eyed girl’s head will turn for Lucas. If so, it’s completely justified when there’s a successful and dashing Oxfordite here to seduce her into the thought of switching partners.

“Hi boys!” A light-hearted call comes from afar.

It’s a pleasantly sweet voice that stuns the couple of new men as their heads are swift to find the source of such a friendly and generous greeting. They finally catch a breath-taking sight of two petite brunettes sauntering their way over to the pool’s direction.

Lucas and Henrik briefly exchange suppressed grins before turning their attention to the girls. Minerva struts her high platform shoes across the fresh grass, her plump lips already curving a cheeky smirk to see two extremely attractive boys join the Villa. Her sparkling cobalt eyes can’t help but linger her observance from head to toe, clearly impressed at the fine selection of new Islanders they’ve brought in— there’s a blond, and she’s always had a weak spot for them.

Coming from right behind is Chloe, calmly moving her light sand-coloured legs to approach the small group. She displays herself with elegance, shoulders poise in a relaxing manner and stands just as confidently as Minerva. The difference lies in how Chloe only politely smiles at the new coming lads, not showing any intentions of setting any flirtatious energy, but being very welcoming nonetheless.

Not knowing what to do with her hands, the cellist twirls her slim fingers around the end of her side braid. She is not a shy person whatsoever, but thank goodness she’s brought Minni to ease the overwhelm. From the rooftop terrace, she surely could tell the boys are quite handsome, and now when having a closer look at them, she would love to be able to keep the eye contact without feeling a bit flustered, just like her younger friend is doing right now; despite being flirty, Minni seems to be keeping her cool, not even appearing to be thunderstruck.

“Good morning, gentleman,” Chloe hospitably introduces herself and extends her smile over to the blond and brunet men, instantly seeing both of them respond with delighted grins pinching their cheeks.

“Goodness look at the two of you,” Lucas smiles out a gentle sigh after throwing the girls a compliment. Nothing else can be said when his eyes are too occupied to admire the imagery of the dark-haired girls.

Next, the tanned man shifts his dark eyes between two distinguishably different women. Both standing gorgeously plays a nice contrast as Minni’s blue eyes boldly shimmer each time her long dark lashes flicker against her delicately scattered freckles and, on the other hand, Chloe’s set of eyes rival the glow of the sun beams, with piercing golden specks gracefully dancing across them.

“I suppose the Villa’s treating you well,” Chloe adds to the small talk, her stare giving equal attention to both Lucas and Henrik.

“Oh absolutely! It’s a tad different when you’ll be living in it instead of watching you lot on the telly,” the blond answers whilst lightly tapping his fingers against his new personalised water bottle.

Before Lucas can get an opportunity to respond as well, the group turns their heads to the side and spots a hurdle of the remaining girls with gobsmacked open jaws as they saunter their way over to the pool.

“Oh, my days! There’s new boys?!” Priya shrieks and echoes a thrilled squeal at such a great way to start her morning. She widens a smirk at the attractive sight of two new men waiting to meet the rest.

“Ugh,” Lottie rolls her annoyed green eyes to notice the brunette duo having a head start already. “Of course, Chloe and Minni seem like they wanted first dibs and didn’t tell any of us girls.”

As she gets closer, the makeup artist can’t tell if Minni is giving her a smug grin or just a friendly apologetic smile because of the blazing sun rays partially blinding her vision, but decides to ignore it when her attention is fully captivated at Henrik’s direction.

It doesn’t take long for the original boys to follow and take a careful step on each stair as their astonished eyes can’t seem to look away from the view of two indisputably handsome blokes being the centre of the girls’ attention.

“Oi oi!” Gary rumbles his deep voice as he walks through the crowd of girls, with Dicky coming right behind.

The Chathamites are the last of the boys to arrive. The spiky-haired blond is amiable enough to make the new lads feel welcomed, as opposed with Jason, who doesn’t really do much but provide an upnod as his way to introduce himself. Although this truly isn’t how they envisioned their day to go, curiosity lingers and they decide to join the group.

Whilst everyone introduces themselves, Gary maintains a friendly beam on his face, glad to have more boys to join the squad. Despite this, the realisation that there's not only one but _two_ new blokes starts to slowly sink in— they’re definitely fit, confident and are surely being showered by attention already. Soon, he notices that he and the rest of the boys have been left in the back of the group whereas the girls’ huddle around the new men. The crane operator blinks a couple of times as he stares at the scene, his friendly beam relaxing until it eventually transforms into an unsure frown. If he thought his chances of staying in Love Island were slim before, now they seem to be getting even narrower. Until now, the silent insecurity that’s been buried deep within him for some time trembles in uncertainty and, whilst Gary attempts to mentally fight the undesirable emotion, it slowly begins to surface. 

**At the lawn – Noon.**

Right after breakfast, the Islanders scatter across the Villa, most finding places where they can shield themselves from the sun. The exceptions are Lucas and Henrik, who are currently in the bean bags comparing dating rules. In front of them is Lottie who, as usual, is giving our two new boys her unfiltered opinion.

Seconds pass until Chloe approaches them and decides to join the chat, being followed by Dicky. As the cellist settles down on a lounger and stretches her toned legs, the mechanic slumps down over a bean bag that is beside his partner and lets out one of his unusual apathetic grunts. 

“I think first dates are super important. If you don’t impress me in the first 3.9 seconds of the date, I’m out,” the older couple hears Lottie saying as soon as they start paying attention to the conversation.

“Sure, it’s all about that first impression,” Lucas agrees.

“I always make sure first dates aren’t too expensive. I don’t like to make anyone feel like they have to spend money on me,” Henrik tells them, with a sincere smile on his face. “We don’t need to pay for good conversation. And you can’t beat a hike up a mountain.”

“Where do I sign up?” A silky and soft voice calls from behind them.

Trying not to look staggered by Minni’s sudden appearance, less look bothered by having her playfully flirt with the new boy, Dicky stays still and shields his eyes with his cap, pretending not to care about her arrival whereas the rest of the group turns around to face her. They meet the younger woman’s light-hearted beam as she approaches them and parks on a lounger next to Chloe’s.

“I’ll show you the ropes someday,” Henrik reciprocates her flirtation. “You’d make any view a better one, Minni.”

Right after letting out a small giggle, the physics student grabs the sunglasses that were resting on top of her head and puts them on, to protect her sensitive eyes from the sun. With his bean bag being the closest to where she is, Dicky inevitably notices her freckled cheekbones acquiring a slight pink shade that she is very good at disguising. Yet again, he forces himself not to stare for too long, and turns his sight elsewhere instead.

While attempting not to get crankier than he’s already gotten since last night, Jason’s green-hazel eyes scan his own name written in blue letters over his plastic bottle. He knows pretty well that ever since he realised that what he feels for Minni is not something he can easily get rid of, and perhaps something that could be labelled as the spark, he’s become insufferably grumpy at everyone in sight. He’s been trying to push everyone away, including Chloe and Gary, even though he knows it’s not their fault and that he will have to explain or even apologize later when he feels more collected and more like himself again. But, for now, the only thing that comes to mind regarding his unexpected crush is ignoring it, in hopes that it will go away eventually.

After almost unperceptively rolling her eyes, Lottie starts getting annoyed that, once more, is Minni the one getting most of the boys’ attention. Just when the younger brunette is about to reply to Henrik, the Aussie decides to cautiously interrupt.

“Ehem. Yeah… sure she would,” she says, flicking her pink coloured hair. “I love a bit of an adventure...”

“My kind of adventure is trooping around the city looking for an exclusive pop-up restaurant,” Lucas says, causing everyone to look at him instead. Confidently, he leans backwards on his bean bag and stretches his muscular arms. “And, like, I’m not being funny, but…” he continues, directing his gaze towards Chloe. “Imagine sitting across the table from Chloe. What could be better?”

Not really used to being flirted with here, Chloe blinks over at the handsome physiotherapist, who is curving a daring smirk back at her and not seeming to care that Dicky is a couple of feet away. The Londoner looks over at Lucas under her curled lashes and bites her plush bottom lip as to hold back a grin. 

Just then, Chloe notices that the rest of the group are hovering their gape at her and waiting for her answer, so she clears her throat and sheepishly smiles, “I do quite fancy a good restaurant. I’m sure you’d make lovely company, Lucas.”

Feeling a few careful glances aimed at him to sense his reaction, Jason remains unbothered. If he’s usually hard to read, now that he’s full-on poker face mode he’s completely unreadable. Until now, Lucas has been the only boy who has dared not only to graft his partner, but to do it right in front of him; at least Dicky gives him props for having the balls, although he’s not liking this bloke one bit, giving the fact that he is not in the mood of meeting new people, less someone that could be considered his competition and maybe even trying to push his buttons on purpose.

As Dicky chooses to remain quiet, with his only movement being taking a gulp of his water bottle, Lottie adjusts herself in her bean bag and straightens her back, in yet another attempt to direct some of the new boys’ attention towards herself so she can enter the flirting game too.

“Well, you know, there are lots of people in the Villa…” she comments, trying to meet Lucas’ sight.

Despite this, the Asian man seems to not have heard her and keeps talking, his dark eyes not leaving Chloe, who, on the other hand, is refraining from showing too much delight from the appreciated attention, “Good wine, good conversation, good food. And you’re all good!”

Noticing that both of the new guys are really displaying all of the cards that they have in their favour, Dicky slightly raises his slit eyebrow. The pair of new men seem to be familiar with how to get the attention of the girl they’re going for, and the mechanic guesses that it’s because they watched the show before entering, so they must know their tastes and preferences already. But, even after considering that they could have an advantage, he is still somewhat confident and tells himself that they have nothing on him.

Being his usual dismissive self, the raven-haired man adjusts his cap. “You lads seem to really be going for it,” Dicky says in a plain voice tone, trying not to give them props. It’s probably the first time he’s said more than a couple of stern and short phrases since he woke up and, because of this, everyone in the group focuses on him now. “At this point, I’m surprised none of you has asked Minerva to go to a library and solve math equations,” he adds nonchalantly and stretches his incredibly muscular legs in front of him.

For a moment, he doesn’t realise he’s just mentioned Minni, until he hears her sigh next to him.

“Har har,” the physics student rolls her eyes at his teasing.

Before Dicky can internally scold himself for having just blurted out something related to her out of nowhere and surely without meaning to, Minni lets out a small laugh at his jab, nonetheless, causing his worries to vanish in thin air. His eyes briefly meet hers and he feels the same kind of sensation that he experienced yesterday, which only confirms that all of these strange feelings regarding this bird aren’t going away anytime soon, as much as he tries over and over again to hide behind his distant behaviour. 

“I must admit I’m the romantic type myself. If there’s one thing girls like, it’s taking them for a bike ride,” Lucas comments. Next, he lowers his tantalising voice and smirks over at Chloe. “Perhaps you might fancy a test drive sometime? I’d love to take you out for a day’s road trip.”

Waiting for a response from her part, all Chloe does is maintain her shiny pupils on him and peek the tip of her tongue at the inner edge of her mouth. By keeping her facial muscles from stretching out an obvious grin, she sucks in her cheeks and clamps her mouth shut, but, even like that, there’s no way around hiding how much she’s enjoying Lucas’s attention. It almost feels a bit strange that he’s giving her these flirtatious looks when no-one has really shown any interest in her. She can’t deny that it’s quite flattering.

Despite having the new Islander flirting so blatantly with Chloe right now, Jason’s mood seems to get less grouchy when hearing someone talking about vehicles. It even makes him completely forget about the fact that this lad is trying to get his bird. The mechanic perks up a bit, but never loses his apathetic aura, “You have a bike?”

“Yeah,” Lucas replies, casual. “I actually have more than one, but my favourite by far is my Triumph.”

It just takes Dicky to listen to the bike’s brand to huff, his bad temper making a comeback as quick as it faded before. “Bloody hell, I never repair Triumphs when they come to the workshop,” he responds, rolling his eyes. “Most owners are whiny poshes that always stay and try to tell me how to do my job.”

Feeling particularly targeted by Dicky’s comment, Lucas’ cool expression turns into an irritated frown. His eyes quickly turn to glare at the younger Islander, and all he sees is a smug smirk, with Dicky being evidently entertained by his reaction to the mean comment; most people in the Villa have already learned to ignore when the mechanic just throws phrases like that one, just because they’ve noticed that his rude way of speaking is not necessarily aimed in a personal way. In fact, most have already figured out that Jason could say the nicest thing and still come across as snarky, and the fact that he finds it funny when people get mad at him for small reasons doesn’t make the situation get better.

Of course Lucas already knew this bloke is confrontational and some kind of an arsehole by watching the show, but he never quite expected to feel like a target. He was hoping this lad to be nicer in real life, and that his grumpy character was just an exaggeration of the show’s editing. He guesses he was wrong, not realizing he might be taking it personal.

“Well, bet you only sprinkle a few diamonds at her on the first date, don’t you, Lucas?” Henrik asks with a grin, trying to lighten up the mood of the conversation and take the attention away from Jason and Lucas glaring at each other. The blond Islander follows his playful words by pushing his posh friend’s shoulder.

Glad to have a way to ease the tension a bit, Lucas turns to face the climbing instructor, “It’s all about Moissanite stone these days, Henrik. It has a higher brilliance than the diamond. It sparkles more than— I mean, no! I don’t… I don’t buy—”

“I’m teasing, mate,” Henrik chuckles as he watches him get caught up in his own words.

Noticing the large group of Islanders gathered around the beanbags, Gary walks up and slumps down on the lounger beside Lottie, carrying a particular tiredness around his light blue eyes. Still, he manages to disguise it just well and play it cool, like he always does.

“Mornin’ all!” he greets with a beam.

The first one to lock eyes with him is Chloe, who stretches a warm smile as she mouths out ‘hi’ to him. Gary’s face brightens when he returns the friendly grin and then delivers a wink over at her.

Just that small motion of his causes a familiar prickling sensation rushing across the brunette girl’s skin— something similar she recalls having felt at last night’s interaction with him. And whilst this jolt of joy strangely burns through her chest whenever Gary’s around, it’s partially frightening to admit how much Chloe’s starting to like it.

Finally seeing the chance of having a boy to pay her undivided attention, Lottie angles her body towards the crane operator and nudges his arm, “Gary! Stop that. We’re having an important discussion about date rules.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gary asks with interest, arching one of his eyebrows. 

Adjusting his cap and putting it backwards, Dicky interferes and muffles a sarcastic scoff. “Yeah, very important. Cos apparently, an expensive restaurant _really_ sets a bird’s mood,” he diverts his mockery at Lucas’ description of his perfect date, finding it sort of flashy of the lad to settle such high expectations.

Trying to dismiss the mechanic and focus on getting Gary’s attention, Lottie grimaces slightly. Then, a small smirk hugs the apple of her cheek. “So, kissing and doing the dirty. What’s your rules?” she asks, directing her question at the muscular blond.

“Oh no, I do my own laundry, thanks,” Gary nods to his answer, but then grows slightly confused on what his laundry had anything to do with his dating rules.

Seemingly not aware that his response was oblivious, Lottie’s dark-coloured lips twitch to keep a concealed smile, whereas Dicky just rolls his eyes and throws his head back in exasperation at his mate’s clumsiness when it comes to chatting up birds. In this moment, he doesn’t even notice that his last mocking comment about Lucas’ perfect date stung the new Islander and made him want to prove a point.

“Money doesn’t buy happiness. And it certainly doesn’t buy love,” the physiotherapist says, confidently.

Just when Jason is preparing another sarcastic reply, he notices Chloe pushing herself off the lounger and straightening her back.

“It’s a shame that people fall in love for the materialistic part of the relationship rather than the actual person,” she says. After that, she pauses for a bit, when feeling the stare from the others on her. “It should never be about the money when it comes to having a relationship with someone. No social structure should dictate the happiness between two people,” the posh cellist briefly nods to herself after spilling her genuine words.

Sensing the immediate silence coming from the group, her eyes decide to focus on her bare thighs, kind of ashamed when thinking that she might’ve sounded like a proper melt when it was never her intention, not realizing that Gary’s gaze is resting on her with curiosity.

Hearing how humbled and down-to-earth Chloe’s take on relationships is, causes Gary’s hefty heart to roughly thump against his muscled chest. Despite how intimidatingly refined she carries herself, the blond man grows afraid that he’s slowly taking a liking not just to her beauty but to her modesty.

This makes him recall the first time he laid eyes on Chloe. The crane operator remembers how kind of little he felt next to her. Hearing how formal she speaks, how graceful she stands or sits, and how expensive she looks— all of that, and still to this moment, makes Gary believe that she’ll never lay her pretty eyes on an ordinary bloke like him. Especially when she’s quite solid with his mate and it seems like Lucas is going for her too. 

In that instant, Gary’s eyes flicker over to Dicky. Even if his best friend was apparently picking on Lucas a few seconds ago, now he has gotten back to being stretched out on his bean bag, his cap shielding his face again whilst no one can see his face. His body language easily depicts just how unbothered he is about the new boys, and this bulky friend can’t seem to comprehend as to why he is being so indifferent about the competition, until he realises that it might be because Jason and Chloe have been nothing but loyal to one another. Even though the older pair hasn’t fully shown any romantic gestures, Gary sees genuine commitment between them, which doubtlessly makes them one of the solid couples.

These thoughts are like a slap in the face for Gary, something that makes him aware that here he is, fancying his best mate’s bird. It is surely unlike him to not go for what he wants, to be directly flirty and cheeky when taking a liking to a girl, but he also really wants Jason to get the chance of falling for a really special woman like Chloe. 

Because of this, the crane operator comes to the conclusion to stay open about getting to know all of the girls and even take the cellist’s advice: give Marisol some time to feel the spark with him. And, if not, he knows he could always come back to Minni to pick up where they left off— that is, if she’s not attached to someone too. Much to his dismay, the physics student and Rocco seem to also be quite solid by now; they’re always hanging out with one another, sharing small pecks and being all giggly and cosy whenever they can, leaving him with no choice but to think that he will end in the friendzone with her too.

This kind of leaves Gary with just Lottie, the only girl he fancies that is not too attached to her couple so far. And, the more time passes and now considering the new boys’ arrival, this option is looking safer for him so he can stay in the show.

“I knew you’d get it,” Lucas’ voice snaps Gary out of his thoughts.

The blond Chathamite forces himself to try not to keep thinking less of himself and stop worrying about how fiercer the competition got. From this moment, Gary tries so hard to push away the idea that he’s not up to the rest of the lads’ level, that even if he has learned to love and accept himself and his body, it could not be enough here, and the fact that girls always end up seeing him as just a friend is not a good record either.

The rest of the group conversation happens in a daze for him, as he goes back and forth between overthinking about the eerie possibility of getting dumped at the next Recoupling and leaving Dicky alone in here, of none of these girls truly fancying him and all of them seeing him just as a mate, and picking up small fragments of the conversation the group is amiably having.

“… it’s also about trying to sweep a girl off her feet,” Lucas comments, smirking at the three girls that are across him.

Whereas the girls seem to be keen on the idea, Minni just shrugs and leans forward on her lounger. “I’d like guys who are chill and easy-going, if I’m honest,” she says, her way of thinking fitting her relaxed nature.

“I bet Rocco loves that,” Lottie adds, mischievous. Next, she flicks her pastel pink coloured locks confidently. “I prefer a guy who does the sweeping.”

Despite not knowing if he’s more annoyed at her comment about Rocco surely preferring Minni’s approach to men or at the fact that he just finds the Aussie irritating, Dicky feels like saying something prickly. “Sweep you with a broom? Sure, I can do that,” he replies, adjusting his cap so the blonde girl can see his sarcastic and smug facial expression.

At first thinking that he’s making a witch reference, Lottie is slow to react and realises way too late that he’s actually calling her something along the lines of dirt and rubbish, this timing having given the mechanic the satisfaction of not getting a proper comeback. Still, the makeup artist is already irritated and willing to give him a piece of her mind, when Gary seems to return his attention to the conversation and starts speaking.

“I’m not a fan of romantic tactics. I prefer things to be natural. It’s a free country. I’m not the controlling type,” the crane operator comments, casually. Although he can’t get completely rid of his gut feeling of insecurity, he still wants to have fun and be part of the chat. Perhaps, he reckons, it could also help him get his mind out of the possibility of not being good enough to have a place in the Villa.

“Oh, I knew that. Actually, we’ve gotten to know you all a bit before coming in here,” Henrik responds with a bright and naïve smile. 

“It’s been quite exciting,” Lucas seconds, his lips also stretching into a smirk.

In that moment, curiosity sparks in Minni’s mind. The physics student raises an eyebrow, deciding to find out how much more entertaining information she can extract from the long-haired lad. “I’m sure you’ve seen stuff we’re not even aware of,” she says, curving a smile and keeping her gaze on the blond.

As Minni quite excitedly waits for a response, Chloe decides to join, “Now that I think about it, Minni’s right. What have you seen?”

“Oh, all sorts. I’d say some of the _sneaky kisses_ and _secret crushes_ are probably the most entertaining...” Lucas teases, finding it slightly satisfying when he perceives Dicky’s entire body stiffening all of the sudden, although Gary doesn’t seem to get the hint that his comment is also aimed towards him. Still, it’s enough for Lucas to show the mechanic who’s got the advantage of such a tantalising knowledge.

Even if Jason is aware that Lucas could be talking about literally anyone else, he can’t help but feel a racing worrisome striking his back muscles, making all of his frame turn as rigid as a brick. Until now, he never thought of the possibility of having his crush on Minni out there without his consent, when he’s precisely having a hard time to admit it to himself. Soon, he realises that the consequences of this occurring could hurt his chances with her and also harm Chloe’s feelings, and that’s something he will never want to happen. Luckily, he’s good at disguising his concern, yet he also prefers avoiding the physiotherapist’s eyes, who is aiming quick looks at him to see his reaction.

Lucas is enjoying the entertainment of having given Dicky a good scare, even if he has no intentions of telling the rest of the Islanders of the mechanic’s secret, but suddenly his eyes land on Chloe, and is surprised by seeing her composing a grimace from showcasing any further. In this moment, the Asian man forms a small frown, noticing he’s unintentionally made Chloe feel uneasy, especially because this was never his objective. He wonders why she’s reacting like this when none of the sly snogs or crushes are about her; for now, he can only determine that, perhaps, she already knows about her partner fancying her best friend, and that’s what’s bothering her— maybe Lucas hit a nerve, which makes him press his lips together into a thin line.

Despite knowing deep down that there’s no reason to feel nervous about what Lucas’ just said, since none of them apply to her, Chloe can’t help but overthink for a moment and ask herself if she ever said something about fancying Gary in one of her Beach Hut confessions. She’s almost sure she hasn’t, but it gets her thinking for a moment, which is enough to have her looking down to watch her fingers playing with the end of her long braid. Clearly, this tactic doesn’t help her feel more at ease. Now, she wants to drop the topic, but it just takes for her to glance sideways to sense Minerva’s curious eyes and smiley lips ready to push more information out of Lucas.

“Ooh. Who’s been doing that?” Minni gasps, her entertainment being expressed as a smirk. She’s usually not one to gossip in large groups of people, but her curious nature about what’s the stuff most Islanders haven’t seen gets the best of her. She leans in with excitement to gain more knowledge, not believing she’s been missing out on a lot of details when she’s been living under the same rooftop as these people. 

When seeing the immediate enthusiasm coming from the younger brunette, Lucas exhales a sharp chuckle and shakes his head, deciding to cut the subject short for now. He doesn’t want to have to say more regarding his declaration; his intention was only to give the Chatham lads a good scare, not to get their secrets out in the open by any means.

“That’s not our place to say,” he simply shrugs, feeling the pressure of most of the Islanders’ curious eyes on him already.

“Aw, come on. At least give us a clue,” Minni whines.

Pretending not to care as to disguise his inner panic, Jason places his cap on top of his face, so the rest of the Islanders think he’s just shielding himself from the sun. In reality, his heart is thumping fast against his ribcage and his mind roaming with excuses to dismiss his crush on Minni. If Lucas chooses to explain who’s the one who has a secret crush, perhaps replying that it was a joke would convince the Islanders that it was all a misunderstanding— although he is also stating to guess that maybe shrugging it off would be a better approach to it.

“Now where would the fun be if we blurted out all of the secrets? It’s much more fun to save them for a proper revelation,” Lucas tells Minni, wittingly. Then, he briefly looks at Dicky, who has hidden his face behind his navy-blue baseball cap and is not showing any signs to be paying attention. “Besides, I reckon I’ve already rocked the boat too much as it is,” the physiotherapist concludes.

With frustration, Minni puffs out her cheeks. Whereas she reluctantly folds her arms across her chest, her big blue hues unamusingly blink when surrendering to the idea of never figuring out who these boys might’ve been talking about, “Oh, fine…”

“What boat?” Henrik cluelessly asks then, as his light-coloured eyes shift to everyone in search of some clarification. As much as he’s been enjoying Lucas’s company for the past couple of hours, he has to admit that the lad has a very strange way with his words and can only hope to get used to it.

Henrik’s light-hearted interruption causes everyone to let go of the initial comment that sparked this chat, the Islanders now ready to let the conversation drift to another topic, but Jason seems to have another idea. Instead of being grateful for Lucas’ almost merciful approach of not revealing his secret, the mechanic decides to be the asshole he usually is and to be mean to the new Islander, without any further reason.

“It’s quite funny that you have the need to imply you know something the rest of us aren’t aware of just to get these birds’ attention,” he says, lifting the visor of his cap just enough to make eye contact with Lucas.

Tensing by his best mate’s comment, Gary shifts to give him a warning look. He knows perfectly that Jason is being a dick to the physiotherapist just to entertain himself, as back home he usually has fun by trying to figure out how far he can get when mocking a lad he’s just met. Now that he’s just started, Gary can only hope he doesn’t go too far.

The rest of the group share worried glances, as everyone waits for Lucas to respond. Instead of engaging in an argument just yet, the Asian man keeps his composure. He can’t believe the older Chathamite is behaving like this after he almost did him a favour. For now, he is more confused than angry.

“Pardon?” he glares, knitting his eyebrows together.

“You heard me,” Dicky sneers. “You wouldn’t have known what to do if you came in here without having that advantage, like the rest of us lads. Bet you would’ve found another thing to brag about, though. Probably _rowing_ ,” he adds, with a small, wolfish smirk forming in his lips and finding the other man’s outrage quite funny.

All of the Islander’s eyes grow wide, most already expecting this to blow out of proportion. None of them know where Dicky’s attitude has come from, since he’s not usually _this_ hostile, but can guess that he might be jealous because Lucas has been evidently flirting with Chloe. Still, this is not nearly the mechanic’s reason why he’s being irritating; he knows that the other lad has done nothing wrong and having him paying attention to Chloe doesn’t bother him in the slightest. Dicky is just picking an argument for the sake of being mean for a moment and have fun getting on other people’s nerves. For him, it’s just harmless banter— it’s almost a shame that he’s picked someone as collected as Lucas as his victim.

“I had hopes that you weren’t as prickly in real life as you appear on TV. It turns out you’re way worse,” the Asian man replies, exasperated.

“Aw, it’s a shame not all of my meanness shows on the telly,” the mechanic fake pouts as a response. Then, he places his hands behind his head to show how unbothered he is, “But I’m sure the depiction of how ridiculous you’re being will be pretty accurate. Wish I could watch it myself to have a good laugh.”

The beginning of a potential argument has left the rest of the group frozen and just able to witness the conversation. Whereas Minni blinks blankly at the grass, trying to figure out how to stop it in the gentler way possible, Lottie tries to conceal a pleased smile. In the meantime, Gary and Chloe exchange a look, with the cellist asking him with her honey-coloured eyes if this is something Jason usually does.

The raven-haired man’s answer causes Lucas to chuckle, especially when comparing this behaviour to how tense and nervous he seemed after he hinted at his crush on Minni. Still, the physiotherapist is not willing to sink as low as to reveal the secret just yet.

“Don’t worry about that. You’ll probably be out of here pretty soon, so it won’t be too long until you can re-watch the _six_ episodes you’ll be in,” the Oxfordite chuckles ironically. 

Despite his declarations, for Lucas it is quite a mystery how favourable are Jason’s chances of staying in the Villa. On the outside, he’s one of the most popular contestants, his not-giving-a-damn and unique indifferent attitude being eye-catching for most of the audience, not to mention the thousands of girls who are simply just thunderstruck by his looks. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, in most episodes the older Chathamite has come across as the one that maintains things honest, since he has no filter and always says what he thinks about people, and his quite pessimistic approach to most things gives the Villa a much-needed down-to-earth aura. There’s no denying that he’s been gaining a following at a fast pace, particularly now that he’s almost embarrassingly crushing hard on none other than a sweet girl like Minni, revealing a very hidden vulnerable side of him. Because of all of this, Lucas figures out that the only way Dicky could get kicked out it’s if he ends up without a partner at the next Recoupling, as there’s no way the public will want him out anytime soon.

Just when the mechanic is about to articulate another sarcastic reply, Henrik stands up and claps his hands together.

“Hey, Lucas. How about we go to the gym, huh? We haven’t had the chance to explore it just yet and I’m itching for some good exercise,” the Swedish smiles widely, while trying to hide how uncomfortable he feels for having to break the argument with a lame excuse like this one.

Realizing how nervous the rest of the group appears to be, Lucas decides to let go of the dispute and have a polite way to exit before things escalate. So, forming a smile, he nods at Henrik and stands up from his bean bag, not without giving Dicky one last glare. Still and despite the disliking that formed between the two, the physiotherapist can’t help but to corner a hidden grin after turning his back to the group and walking away; having someone to match his quick sarcasm is quite amusing.

As they watch the new pair of Islanders going away, the four remaining Islanders stay quiet, kind of expecting the fifth member of the group to want to keep the fight going. However, Dicky just lets go of the topic just as quick as Lucas did, choosing to comfortably relax on his bean bag again. Then, a smirk forms on his lips, out of satisfaction. This was kind of the chaotic fun he was missing from the outside and, although he is not one to get scared easily or to let go of an argument he could potentially win, he also understands it’s been enough— for now. 

**In the kitchen – Afternoon.**

After the chat turned a bit bitter between Dicky and Lucas, the Islanders decided to part ways and escape the tense atmosphere. Considering how awkward it continued to get, Henrik pulled the physiotherapist over to the gym and then to chat at the fire pit as a method to smoothly disperse themselves from getting into a bigger ordeal. Just remembering the passive aggressive comments that were exchanged between both men, Chloe was positive that the mechanic’s impulsiveness wasn’t going to get him anywhere; not even a whole day with the new boys and Dicky has already rivalled one of the new arrivals.

To take things off her mind, the glamorous woman grips on the hinge of the fridge and pulls it wide open to instantly sense gentle cool air coating her skin. She takes a step back as she scans the interior of the appliance hoping for something to catch her eye. Busied with this morning’s surprise, Chloe is just getting the opportunity to feed herself yet is still indecisive with what she really wants; all she knows is that she’s famished. After putting a bit of thought into her brunch, her graceful hands hover over some of the jars and packaged cheese. Despite the repetitive meal, she finally decides to make herself a sandwich.

Chloe’s petite frame shifts from one spot to another as she aligns all ingredients on the counter. A small amused smile hides within the creases of her full lips, impossible to avoid the remembrance of last night’s failed sandwich when Gary left this same table utterly disorganised with smeared condiments mixed on the crumbled bread. The classical cellist doesn’t typically judge people for their lack of culinary skills– hell, she didn’t start learning how to cook until she moved to New York for uni, but, despite that, it’s still baffling to know the crane operator can’t construct a simple sandwich, especially when taking in consideration the contrast with his close mate, giving that Dicky has proved how skilful and knowledgeable he is behind the stove.

“Hello there, _cherie_ ,” a cocky voice interrupts Chloe’s peaceful alone time, already making her body stiffen when recognising who it is just by hearing that terrible pronunciation.

She angles her head to immediately meet with green eyes that belong to a man with curly auburn locks. At no point does the musician realise her mouth tightening into an unfavourable frown. She feels an undying need of correcting Rocco’s French when he’s been butchering it since she’s met him. Taking all of the attention away from her sandwich, Chloe turns over to Minni’s partner and exhales through her nostrils.

“That’s not how you pronoun–” the elegant Islander stops herself, compromising to the fact that he’ll continue to embarrass himself even if she tries to correct him. Then, she lightly squints the outer corners of her eyes and shifts her miffed golden stare down to view his off-putting body language and then back up to his smug face. “Nevermind,” Chloe mutters under her breath and returns her attention to her food.

Feeling her stomach already grumbling for fuel, the hazel-eyed girl proceeds to grasp the knife and glides a thin layer of butter on two slices of bread. Remaining in silence, her peripheral vision can distinguish Rocco leaning his waist against the counter with his arms crossed over his bare chest. His watchful stare carefully analyses how the musician’s polished hands delicately hold the slice of bread, whilst thinking just how stunning she really is. Since Dicky isn’t nowhere near her, it sparks the interest in him to practice a bit of the romantic language they can bond over, just like he’s been doing with the rest of the girls already— maybe he can even chat her into coupling up with him.

Although Rocco finds it a bit annoying how Chloe seems more focused on correctly arranging her sandwich rather than keeping up with the small talk, he leans a little closer. Typically, he’d already grasp any girl’s attention with this subtle move, but he is finding it challenging to have the cellist even take a quick glimpse towards his direction. Although the older brunette has only displayed indifference towards Rocco’s presence, this doesn’t stop him from continuing, so he clears his throat before speaking.

“Tu es trep bella pour ici seuli,” the green-eyed man utters, confidently.

Without much room to think about the weirdly-sounding sentence, the classy woman pauses her busied hands and settles the knife on the table, echoing a metal sound at the clash of the utensil. Swimming in ponder at what in bloody hell this lad was trying to say, her head roams around the possible phrases that he might’ve been aiming for, but nothing really clicks.

As Chloe tilts her chin, she crinkles her nose in subtle cringe after noticing how smug Rocco is looking right now. Emerald eyes flirty narrow and stare directly at her whilst pursing his lips into a smoulder expression. _This bloke really thinks he can speak French_ , Chloe thinks to herself.

Maintaining that expression, Rocco blinks at her, seemingly not understanding that he’s actually embarrassing himself. It doesn’t take long for the hazel-eyed girl to dismiss him and resume to her food preparation and add some final touches to the delicacy. There’s absolutely no way she’d allow this lad to distract her from her food when she has been anticipating a good meal ever since she’s woken up.

Then, Chloe’s fingers clutch around the bread as she picks up her sandwich and draws it near her mouth. A swarm of impatience heightens up her throat to feel Rocco still staring at her, so she gulps in the vex of not being able to enjoy her food in peace. She decides to look over in the same direction where he’s still standing; his body strangely angling more towards her, and there goes that same smouldered mouth that he keeps insisting on. After that, Rocco’s hand runs through his thick curly locks whilst tensing his bicep, as if he wanted to outline any lean muscle to impress the London beauty.

Her uninterested eyes meet with Minni’s partner, but before he gets the chance to speak, Rocco’s face almost drains in colour and he reduces his mouth into a quivered frown. His stare abandons the beautiful cellist and exchanges it for the tall, masculine figure heavily shadowing from behind her. Despite Dicky barely containing a neutral face, it’s nearly impossible for Rocco to disguise the intimidation that burns down to his stomach whenever the mechanic approaches and throws him one of his cold-blooded stares.

Quickly, Rocco backs away from Chloe, with Dicky now looming his long frame over his partner’s shoulder, instantly eyeing the appetising snack she’s prepared and not even noticing how nervous he’s caused the other man to get. Because of the brunet’s abrupt arrival, the younger Islander stumbles on his feet when he’s too distracted at the thought of pushing the cranky Chathamite’s buttons.

“Alright, Chloe?” Dicky simply asks, his deep voice hinting a tint of exhaustion.

His current partner half turns her torso and gifts Dicky a friendly smile. “Yeah. Just trying to eat,” the classy cellist responds and looks the opposite direction. “And Rocco—” Chloe shrinks her sweet voice into a faint whisper when she realises the younger man has disappeared all of the sudden. A small pout gravitates over her puzzled face. Then, she blinks her curled eyelashes in search of Minni’s partner, quickly spotting Rocco sauntering his way over to the freckled girl and joining her at the daybeds. 

For what seems like a mere second, the musical performer is caught blankly staring over at the same daybeds whilst thinking about the food truck owner’s odd conduct a few minutes ago, but then thoughts are interrupted when Minerva enthusiastically waves at her from afar. The older brunette lazily waves back at her close friend and can already view the Cambridge student’s slim pale arms wrap around Rocco; the pair gets cosy with each other’s company and it looks like they’re now caught into a chat.

Next, Chloe’s attention comes back to remember her succulent sandwich waiting to be devoured, but when she looks down at her plate there’s only measly little breadcrumbs scattered across the dish. Dark pupils shake over distressed sunny-coloured eyes, already having a hunch of who has taken her food. She shifts her upset stare across the counter to spot Jason tilting his stubbled chin and hovering the last piece of the sandwich above his mouth. Without much consideration, the unbothered mechanic lets go of the remaining bite size, landing perfectly in his mouth and begins to clench his jaw every time he smacks his lips at each obnoxious chew.

After that, his masculine hazel eyes look down at his partner, who is visibly fuming at the unfair theft of her meal. He unapologetically shrugs his broad shoulders. “What? It was a good sandwich, mate,” the Chathamite muffles out his words and proceeds to loudly lick his long fingers for the subtle flavour of the pickle juice. Not needing a napkin, Dicky uses his swim trunks to wipe his hand and lets out a satisfied exhale. “My compliments to the chef,” he mockingly utters and instantly hears a frustrated hiss leaving Chloe’s lips.

“Ugh,” the musician groans and crosses her arms, feeling defeated; the nerve of this man.

For her, it’s still mind boggling to acknowledge how quickly Dicky devoured her meal. Surely, the time in which Chloe had fallen under a distraction over at the daybeds couldn’t possibly be enough time for a normal human being to consume an _entire_ sandwich. 

Still, the fact that he’s stolen her food only deepens her frown and makes her dart her heavy scowl at him. “Well I hope you’ve enjoyed it because I’m still famished over here!” Chloe says.

Never hearing an apology from Jason, nor an offering to make another sandwich, the posh-looking cellist reluctantly makes her way over to the counter and begins to pull out another pair of sliced bread for the second attempt.

Just then, there’s a brief pause between the dark-haired couple; Dicky guides his long legs over to the counter stools and rests his elbows on the edge of the warm table. His deep eyes linger on Chloe, noticing her scowl gradually easing off her pretty facial muscles as the new sandwich is now her focus. 

“So, that Lucifer bloke…” Jason pauses for a bit, taking a refreshing gulp from his personalised water bottle and licking his lips to the coldness of the beverage. “Seems like he well fancies you, eh?” He asks with an indifferent tone of voice, making it too difficult for his partner to determine if he’s troubled that one of the new boys has shown interest in her.

Within an instant, Chloe releases the same knife she’s been using and flickers her dark lashes at the crude shade Jason is already throwing towards Lucas. She steadies her scornful golden eyes at him whilst shaking her head.

“Dicky, I reckon you wouldn’t like to know you’re disliked if you were in his place. I’m sure coming in as one of the new arrivals can feel overwhelming and your snarky comments haven’t been helping,” the elegant Islander vents.

Growing thoroughly displeased to witness Chloe actually advocating for that lad, Dicky sharply grumbles out a frown and furrows his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have a problem with him if he hadn't pushed my buttons,” he mutters out a defensive grunt. Then, he leans a little over the counter table, a knowing expression forming across his handsome face, “And _I_ reckon you’re just sticking up for him ‘cos he grafted on you, love.”

This time, Chloe decides to avoid his eyes and lower her sight to finish arranging her food, hoping her long side bangs drape over her flushed cheeks when knowing they’ll be too evident in the daylight. She’s now caught in a bit of embarrassment because, weirdly enough, her partner isn’t completely wrong. Not only is Lucas undoubtedly handsome but also carries an eccentric charm that typically is found in the men she’s dated before. The luxurious-looking woman starts to skim throughout the morning’s events and reminds herself that she should put in a bit of effort to get to know the new boys, because ever since coming into the Villa, she’s known for being the most reserved of the girls and hasn’t really permitted the boys, including Dicky, to see her more than a friend.

The truth is, the concept of opening up to someone haunts Chloe’s past for a moment and forces her to shut herself out of a potential relationship. There’s no doubt in her mind that she’s had an amazing time with the dashing mechanic, but the more she thinks of him, the more he’s labelled as a _close friend_ — just now, the bickering reminds the musician of how she used to argue with her older brother when they were adolescents. 

Still standing next to her, Dicky half grins to take notice at how quiet the cellist has become now. Regardless of his intolerance towards Lucas, the brunet Chathamite finds it great to see someone showing a bit of interest in Chloe; it’s a shame that it’s someone he’s not planning on getting along with anytime soon.

When thinking about his current couple, by now Jason knows well that nothing has sparked romantically between him and Chloe and, so far, given how much time they’ve spent together, he’s already failed to see her in a different light. He knows that she’s gorgeous and half of the girls in this Villa can’t match her quirky personality, but he doesn’t sense anything between the two over than a deep loyalty for one another.

It’s almost an immediate thought when he remembers one of the reasons why he can’t see Chloe as a potential partner. Green-hazel eyes betray his inner stubbornness and he lands his sight over at the daybeds, seeing Minni burst into such sweet laughter at whatever Rocco’s said. Dicky subconsciously airs out a low prickly tut to think that the freckled girl actually finds the lad remotely entertaining. Already feeling irritation boiling up in his veins, Jason comes back to his surroundings at the kitchen.

Instantly, Dicky’s gaze lands on the food that exquisitely displays in front of him. It looks just as delicious as the one he just ate and he can’t help but sigh. “Any chance of sharing that?” he half-jokingly asks his current partner.

“Heh, yeah right,” Chloe responds with a scoff and chuckles at the ridiculous question.

A low grumble flattens between the Kent native’s lips and he silently sits beside her, watchful of the cellist’s every move. Her poised fingers carefully wrap around the knife’s handle and lean over to slice a generous amount of softened butter. While paying attention, Dicky arches his slit eyebrow, curious about what else she plans on doing with the butter if she’s already applied a layer on her sandwich. Jason’s already thinking it’ll taste strange if she adds more, until he realises that his partner isn’t aiming for the bread but rather for her mouth. 

Clashed emotions of disgust and intrigue squirm across the mechanic’s face. All he can do is shockingly stare at Chloe genuinely enjoying the taste of the chunk of butter. She happily goes in for another slice of the creamy condiment and all Dicky can do is press his large hand over his opened mouth.

“Mate, what is wrong with you?” He asks with a muffled voice.

Oblivious of his disgust, the classical cellist blinks with pure bewilderment, her jaw is still working on the butter that dances on her tongue, “What?” 

Not wanting to continue witnessing such a strange way to treat her taste buds, Dicky whines out a stressed sigh. “Y-You're eating butter… just by itself,” he struggles to complete the sentence.

Just then, there’s a short and airy giggle heaving from the elegant woman as she steadies her amused stare at the uneasy man. Awakening an extraordinary idea to push her partner’s discomfort towards her butter fascination, a small smirk curls the crease of her mouth, “Oh, the butter? Hun, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s delicious, see?”

Scooping another layer of butter, Chloe peeks out the tip of her tongue and it perfectly sticks under her palate. She closes her eyes and dreamily sighs out a soft hum of satisfaction all whilst listening to Jason’s appalled grunt. Not feeling an ounce of pity for his distress, the refined-looking girl proceeds to eat her continuous slices of butter; it’s a well-deserved payback for having eaten her sandwich. 

“You’re one mad bird,” he simply adds.

All Chloe can do is shrug at the minimal comment when she’s heard worse from her family and friends back home. Even as a child, she knew about her quirky habits; plus, eating thin layers of butter is something she’s carried for the majority of her life.

“I will admit that it’s not common to like butter by itself,” she exhales an easy-going chortle with Dicky silently shaking his head.

The older pair then falls into an easy silence after that last phrase. Quietly, Dicky pushes himself off the stool and makes his way over to the sink to refill the empty water bottle, leaving Chloe by herself next to the counter.

For her, today has become completely unpredictable with the arrival of a new pair of boys— _very_ attractive boys. It seems like they’ve been vocal enough to let everyone know they’re here to shake things up. Still with the two bombshells in mind, Chloe’s amber eyes discreetly blink over to the fire pit where she last remembers Henrik and Lucas walking over earlier. Now, it seems like Gary has joined their chat, as his wide frame is settled between the new boys, clearly having taken control of the conversation. Knowing the blond crane operator, there’s a likely chance that he wants to keep it light-hearted with the two lads, especially considering how wrong Dicky’s chat went with Lucas earlier today. Next to the three men, Lottie crosses her long legs as she adjusts her sitting position closer to Henrik, never noticing that Bobby is next to her. Shortly after, the two new boys hop off their seats and secretly talk to each other when ambling their way inside the Villa.

Chloe’s expressive honey-hued orbs soften to view how bright Gary’s smile is all the way from here. Knowing it’s safe to remain her gaze towards the fire pit, the cellist takes the opportunity to steadily admire how amiable of a man he’s been with the new boys. Despite Lucas and Henrik being potential threats, she intakes the muted appreciation for her friend and clearly sees Gary’s maturity overlap his age with the kind gesture to end their chat on a good note.

Tracing to earlier when the crane operator decided to join the group huddle, there’s absolutely no way to describe a peculiar giddy feeling that tingles across Chloe’s skin whenever his piercing sky blue eyes land on her. Even with the smallest glimpse coming from him, there’s something about him in particular that causes her sensitive heart to tighten in fondness and good heavens, she’s coming to terms about _liking_ it.

 _No. No! I can’t like him. Get a hold of yourself,_ Chloe mentally rebukes in her head. She tries to stubbornly remind herself that Gary is simply not her type. What she’s always been attracted to are tall, dark, handsome men— exactly like Lucas; that’s all she’s ever dated. And, with the charming Oxfordite’s arrival, the conflicted cellist hopes he distracts her from these illusive ponders about Gary.

Now, Chloe is trying to convince herself that she’s not remotely interested in Gary, that his personality isn’t what she exactly looks for in a romantic partner either, particularly when he comes across as too much of a lad and quite cheeky; he certainly wouldn't match well with her. But if she truly doesn’t like that in a man, she begins to wonder why her heart palpated harder than ever last night during their deep chat or why his hugs brought divine goosebumps across her beige skin. 

With a frown gravitating at the edges of her plush lips, sudden awareness washes over the poised dark-haired girl. At no point in time has she thought about Dicky, despite them being paired up. Large golden-hazel orbs wince in awkwardness when she’s coming to a conclusion that she’s been trying to decide whether her and Gary could work or if her head could get ultimately turned by Lucas, and hasn’t even considered Dicky being a potential romantic partner in the future. Perhaps, she thinks, the grumpy mechanic is not for her after all. And, as much as Chloe wants to convince herself that there’s still potential between them, there’s just no attraction.

Shameful pupils look up to spot her partner scooping a hefty amount of shredded cheese and aiming it perfectly towards his mouth. Although she would think that even a plain glance at her partner would ignite some magnetism, there’s nothing, absolutely _nothing_. Considering how Dicky chose her for his first Recoupling, Chloe feels a profound indignity eating up her insides when she finally admits to herself that she doesn’t really fancy him. 

Failing to shake away her intrusive thoughts, Chloe's slender hands slightly tremble at the grasp of her delicious sandwich. She draws it closer to her opened mouth but freezes after hearing a phone loudly chime. Since the sound is extremely close, she thinks at first that it might be Jason’s, until her bright eyes lower to view her own phone and sees it vibrating. Completely dismissing her already prepped meal, she quickly trades her food for the phone’s intriguing message waiting to be read.

“Text! I’ve got a text!” The petite instrumentalist exclaims loud enough for the rest of the Islanders’ heads to angle towards the kitchen.

<Chloe, it’s time to get your graft on. New boy Lucas has chosen you to go on a date. Please get ready to leave the Villa. #oneonone #musictomyears #thedoctormayseeyounow>

Before anyone else can properly put out a reaction to Chloe’s message, another loud beep rings from afar this time, and a soft yelp echoes across the lawn.

“Ah, babes! I’ve got a text, too!” Minni perks with a smile, wiggling her phone in the air. Next, the gorgeous blue-eyed student impatiently swipes over her screen and squints to clearly read what she has out loud for everyone to hear. 

<Minerva, now’s your time to get to know Henrik as he’s selected you to go on a date. Please get ready to leave the Villa. #ropeyouin #graftisinsession #makemyheadturn>

Within seconds of Minerva reading her text, feminine squeals echo tremendously after finding out about the luring dates the brunette beauties will be attending. Chloe remains at the kitchen, leaning her hip against the table as she calmly witnesses the contagious excitement, especially from Priya, who’s wiggling her curvy upper body out of eagerness for the chosen girls whilst still remaining seated on a colourful bean bag. Then, Chloe feels a gentle tug on her forearm, which causes her neck to shift over to the other side, and sees Minni already beside her. Cobalt irises shine with anticipation of their upcoming dates, whilst pulling the Londoner away from the sandwich.

It doesn’t take much time for their platform shoes and stylish wedges to thump against the hollow wood flooring.

“Come on, babes! I need your opinion on a few outfits,” the bubbly girl suggests.

**In the roof terrace – Evening. **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYINlBAVdoA)****

Looking up at the orange Spanish sky, the serenity from a luminous sunset calmly hugs behind the green carved mountains now ready for the nightfall to illuminate the night with glimmering stars. From a faint distance, a soft bass party beat is heard from below along with the distinguishable laughter coming from Bobby and Ibrahim. After getting dressed for tonight’s gathering, all of the Islanders decided to get the party started. Dicky, on the other hand, couldn’t be around anyone knowing he’ll continue to spit out odious comments, so, to do everyone a favour, he took the decision to swallow all of his anguish alone at the rooftop terrace. 

The welcome party that’s being thrown for Lucas and Henrik should be a fun one, more so when there’s contagious music overflowing the Villa and with the good company of his best mate. But, how can Dicky enjoy anything when all he’s carried are just thoughts about fancying someone as kind-hearted as Minni whilst coupled up with a stunning woman like Chloe?

After the beautiful pair of brunette girls came back highly enthused about their dates, discouragement dispersed across the mechanic’s frown. He hates having to deal with how his face numbs whenever Minerva’s bubbly smile is directed towards him or how sweet her voice delightfully engulfs his ears whenever she says his name. Every bloody thing that bird does only drives Jason crazy and what’s more frustrating is that he can’t do anything about it.

The tall Chathamite twitches his upper lip after a grunt rushes through his teeth and then wrinkles his eyebrows together. Large fingers dig into his pocket, instantly locating the cool metal of his lighter and the small box of packaged tobacco. Swiftly popping out a single cigarette, Dicky draws it to his mouth with his other hand igniting the lighter. The warmth of the fire softly illuminates his handsome features as he inhales in a good amount.

Soon, the brunet man releases the strong puffs of white smoke to cloud the clear air as his mind travels from Minerva to Chloe. After a while, he can’t come up with another conclusion other than that his partner is not deserving to be putting up with his crankiness. Chloe has been immensely patient with his recent behaviour and he reckons that she’s probably tolerating everything he does and says because she wants to work things out with him. Even if they haven’t chatted about how they feel about one another, it doesn’t help that him and the cellist are too alike and neither of them will open up or approach the subject.

The quiet mechanic leans forward to settle his elbows above his thighs and nervously shakes a knee, when realising that he’ll eventually have to tell Chloe that he doesn’t feel anything for her. Normally, his indifferent self wouldn’t really think twice before telling a bird that he’s not interested nor that he reciprocates any romantic feelings, but imagining how he could potentially break the beautiful Londoner’s heart rushes an undesired sting at the back of his throat— she surely deserves better, better than a lad who fancies her friend.

Disrupting such a stressful decision about Chloe, Dicky’s head swiftly turns towards the door after hearing it click. Then, he sees it being pushed open. Even if he’s been in Love Island long enough to get used to the lack of privacy, the dark-haired man doesn’t try to hide his annoyed scowl; he’s simply not in the mood to deal with anyone. The mechanic leans his back against a neon-coloured pillow with crossed arms over his chest, hoping it’s not Hope or Marisol who’s about to walk in as he’s not in a tolerant state of mind to talk to a lot of the people here.

Large vivacious honey-hued eyes peek through the threshold. When Chloe spots her partner secluded in a corner trying to finish his cigarette, her shoulders finally relax. She’s never gone through this much effort to look for a bloke, especially when it took her some time to search the entire Villa.

Feeling more relieved to have found Dicky, the cellist slides her elegant figure out and shuts the door as she keeps her gaze on the brunet man who’s clearly trying to avoid her eyes. Although she’s grown used to his intimidating glares, there’s something about how his indifferent frown tightens and his deep emerald-light brown eyes tremble under the pale moonlight. Finding his behaviour slightly alarming, Chloe can’t help but form a questioning pout and decides to make it over towards his side, finally taking a seat next to him.

Already sensing an invisible wall that Jason’s put between him and her, Chloe straightens her arched back and allows a profound inhale to expand her chest before attempting to get his stern eyes to look at her.

“I’ve been looking for you, hun,” the musician begins.

Her gentle voice eases her partner’s tense frame and, even though there’s still no response coming from him, it doesn’t stop Chloe from inching a little closer. She begins to drown in curiosity because of Dicky’s cold manner, since he’s typically just grouchy. Not even those usual grunts are huffing out as his default response and the brunette girl is now thinking that he’s actually upset with her. This causes her stare to linger down, just to find how his large knuckles whiten for cramping up in a fist.

Not quite knowing what to do now, Chloe briefly lowers a glimpse at her delicate fingers and begins to nervously play with her luxurious rings. “Jason, are you alright? If I’ve done anything wrong—” she interrupts herself when she senses how stiff Dicky’s body got all of the sudden.

Listening to the golden-eyed girl take blame for his crabby attitude, makes Jason practically jolt off his seat, standing up out of stress. It’s disheartening for him to realise how undeserving he is of her considerate nature when she isn’t even the problem. On the contrary to what she’s imagining, Chloe’s been wonderful, and Jason reckons he’s not worthy of such generosity when he’s given her almost nothing in return, at least nothing romantic asides from the brief kiss they shared a couple of days ago.

The physical distance he’s put between the two kind of helps to relieve some of the tension Dicky has been storing inside. Next, his rough hand runs down the length of his face, until he grazes his fingertips over the dark stubble near his strong chin. There’s no knowing how else to compose these buried emotions, so he starts pacing his black boots from one direction to another.

On the other hand, Chloe sits quietly, just observing the strange behaviour coming from the Chathamite. Her concerned pupils slightly tremble when following Jason’s every move, still she can’t figure any of this out. As much as she wants to do something to make him feel better, all Chloe can do is stay where she is and allow him to deal with whatever conflictive energy he has.

Shortly after, Jason’s tall frame comes a bit closer to Chloe’s, his face looks dulled in something that she can only identify as exhaustion.

“Look, Chloe. I’m sorry, okay. I’m sorry for being a proper twat to you,” he blurts out his words, already finding it difficult to not just to apologise but to finally deal with the root of his problem, something he’s been trying to avoid by putting on a mask of indifference and apathy.

In return, Chloe just slumps her shoulders; something is still not clicking for her. Whilst she appreciates that he’s acknowledging his misconduct, it’s still confusing for her to hear such a random apology.

“Oh, it’s alright,” she softens her response and lifts her plush lips into an understanding smile, “I’m sure you’re just bothered that Lottie’s been quite defensive with you after she took it out on Gary.”

It’s almost by an instant that the hazel-eyed lad pesters a sharp hiss, this simply leaving the instrumentalist in deeper self-consciousness. _Was it something I’ve said?_ Chloe asks herself. Even though she can clearly notice how more closed off he proceeds to get, she’s oblivious to the fact that this outburst of annoyance is more for himself. Because of this, not it only seems to her like there’s another thing that’s bothering him and that he might be using his grouchiness as an excuse to not push on the subject.

Going through the times he’s interacted with him today, Chloe skims through the possible things she’s done that could’ve irked her partner, but nothing really comes to mind. A defeated sigh flows out of the classy cellist’s mouth when she’s unsuccessfully decoded their blurry issue.

“Dicky, you’re not making any sense. I’ve come here so you can join us at the party, but we’re not getting anywhere with your grunting,” the girl says with a tint of irritation at the tip of tongue.

Although she’s just complained, Jason can only grumble out a rigid grunt as his mouth torments into a deeper frown. A collision of emotions overwhelms a prickly sensation against his cheeks and, whilst his face remains as indifferent as it can be, feeling Chloe’s heavily concerned stare thickens the exposure that unwillingly glosses over the mechanic’s bewildered eyes. Nonetheless, Dicky stubbornly crosses his long arms again, worrying about never having the courage to be honest with his current partner nor with the bloody liking he’s been developing for Minni.

Bothered by not getting a response from him, Chloe lifts her uncertain amber eyes to briefly catch a glimpse at the serene sight of sparkling stars from above. Then, she exhales a broken sigh, still trying to figure out what’s been bothering this man.

“Is it because I ate the butter? I mean, I suppose I can eat less if it makes you feel uncomfortable,” the musician airs out her assumption, growing more disappointed in herself for, once again, making someone feel disturbed by her weird habit.

After not receiving much from Jason yet again, the posh-looking woman finally shifts her body as a sign of her upcoming departure. Whilst she doesn’t want to leave her upset partner alone, it seems like he’s not willing to open up to her, even if she’s given him multiple opportunities to talk things over.

Soon enough, consciousness overshadows her doubt, causing Chloe to angle her chin and take one last view at the grouchy brunet Islander; there’s no explanation as to why but her heart is insisting to stay with him. Her small hand reaches for Jason, hoping he doesn’t make her regret her decision of talking things out. Unexpectedly, the cellist secures a grip onto the cool sleeve of Dicky’s leather jacket, now giving it a gentle tug to grasp his attention. Regardless of his continuous grunting as his normal response, the raven-haired man silently obeys and sits beside her.

Unique shades of masculine and feminine hazel orbs finally align, and Chloe can’t deny that behind his distasteful scowl, there’s something distressing that the Chathamite refuses to manifest. Still not understanding what that dense head of his is really going through, the elegant Londoner scoots closer to Dicky and can only hope that this time, he doesn’t grunt at her again.

“Hun, I beg of you. I really need you to be honest with me, and telling me what’s been bothering you can be a good start, hm?” The hazel-eyed beauty suggests, her voice airing out in concern for this sod’s afflicted nature.

“Fine,” a harsh exhale flares his nostrils. Before Jason speaks up, he grits his teeth to ease the pressure of opening up. “I’ve not been myself lately... cos there’s this b—” the mechanic chokes at mid-sentence, sharply muttering under his breath. Exasperated already, he can only mentally scold himself for allowing any insecurity to eat up his emotions.

No words are required to be exchanged between the two, as Chloe’s eyes now radiate with the reassurance Dicky is looking for; and for that, he grows thankful for. He fixes his gaze on her and gulps in the bitter taste coming from the cigarette that he begins to put out. Next, his nervous fingers glide across his dark facial hair, whilst he parts his lips, building up enough self-assurance to try again.

“I dunno how to describe it, really,” Dicky says, lowering his head to refrain from showing any sign of vulnerability. “Like, I dunno what or how to handle what I feel. Especially when I reckon her not fancying me back,” the mechanic adds, his vocals fading in modesty, a shy whisper to the last part of his confession. 

After hearing how her partner has expressed himself, Chloe’s throat burns into numbness. She knows how much he’s struggled to allow his unfiltered feelings to spill for once, this only creating a trail of zaps guilting up her spine whilst presuming that Jason may be talking about her. 

Trying not to show any evident signs of her already having an idea of what he’s trying to say, the cellist clenches her perfectly shaped jaw and firmly clamps her mouth shut; her poor attempt to mimic a poker face herself. Running through what Dicky just said to her, the brunette girl’s mind can’t help but shuffle through the times he’s thrown his snarky comments at Lucas ever since his arrival, and it all starts to come together: perhaps her partner is aware that she doesn’t reciprocate any romantic feelings for him.

A shameful wince lightly twitches across her face when she realises the mess she’s unintentionally created. Even though Dicky’s not the friendliest bloke in the Villa, Chloe’s grown to cherish this cranky man during the time they’ve remained coupled up. She would be lying if she said she isn’t afraid of losing a potential friendship with one of the closest people she has here— all because she simply doesn’t see the handsome mechanic in a romantic way.

Because he can’t look directly into Chloe’s eyes at the next phrase he’s planning on saying, Jason is quick to lower his lightly bagged emerald-brown eyes over to his black jeans. His thumb distractingly grazes over the ripped part of the denim as his way to stall from revealing who else he’s been fancying.

“I mean, when’s a bloke like me ever going to get a chance with a bird like Minerva,” he mournfully admits, but his baritone voice rings keenly at the mention of said pretty girl with sparkling cobalt eyes.

Shifting his attention to Chloe, he can only hope that this doesn’t distance the friendship they’ve developed. Tracing to when he arrived at the Villa, the brunet man recalls how indifferent he felt about making any friends considering how Gary also joined the Love Island journey with him. After experiencing the Villa’s lifestyle, it’s come as an absolute surprise that Chloe, out of all people, is beginning to earn a permanent spot as a close mate; that is, if she allows what they have to continue in a different direction. And, as much as it will disappoint Dicky, he can completely understand the cellist’s position if she decides to no longer talk to him after what he’s just confessed.

Fragile knots begin to cramp Jason’s chest to witness her lips hopelessly fading into an uncertain frown along with a quivering chin. Frightened of further breaking the girl’s heart, he now feels more clueless about comforting her when there are sheer layers of crystallised tears glossing over her troubled honey-coloured eyes. At each given blink, Chloe’s curled lashes easily trigger teardrops to steadily stream down the outline of her perfectly sculpted cheekbones. In that moment, the classy woman brings her slim hand near her eyes and carefully wipes off the dampness coming from her skin whilst short sniffles heave out of her nostrils.

 _Bloody hell, Jason. You’ve really done it this time_ , the mechanic mentally lectures himself.

It mortifies the Chathamite to think that the brunette beauty might be softly sighing out her broken heart because of him. Knowing this won’t remedy the issue, Dicky still decides to hover his hesitant hand in mid-air, not exactly positive if it’s a good idea to lay a finger on the upset woman. This is his first-time seeing Chloe genuinely saddened and there’s no clarity on how to comfort her. Not finding any assurance within, Jason withdraws his hand and, instead, he clutches a frustrated fist after he’s failed to be a supportive friend, causing his hand to hesitantly fall down to his side.

Not finding the strength to continue seeing more of her tears, the tall Islander droops his head and blankly stares at her luxurious pointed black heels. “I’m sorry, Chloe,” Dicky resentfully mumbles. 

“No, you idiot!” The beautiful musician sighs out her broken voice, “I-I’m just happy.”

Not exactly expecting to hear such a confusing statement, Dicky blinks his perturbed eyes at the emotional brunette and can’t wrap his head around the turn of their chat. It makes absolutely no sense when he’s just told her that he fancies her closest friend here.

“Huh?” The brunet Islander plainly questions.

“I’m happy because you’re fancying someone here,” Chloe’s chest unrhythmically rises as she’s attempting to catch her sentimental breath and sweeps her delicate fingertips under mildly puffy eyes to remove the last of her tears. “I was afraid you weren’t feeling any of the girls, but you are,” she stretches a gratifying smile to find out that out of all women here, the one that’s softening this cranky lad is none other than bubbly Minerva.

As her eyes are still stained with tears, Chloe’s glowing smile widens. She could’ve never guessed Dicky would take a liking to Minni, and although she has no idea where this came from, she is so glad to finally see him feeling something, his declaration being so sincere and shy that it makes her feel protective of him.

For a moment, Dicky is confused on why his partner looks utterly happy, until he processes her words. Relief washes down on him instantly, most of the frustration he has been storing since yesterday fading away, leaving him just with the worry of not being corresponded by Minni. Out of all things, he’s mostly grateful for not having hurt Chloe’s feelings.

Hesitantly, the mechanic opens his mouth to ask something, but closes it instantly when he realises he doesn’t know how to articulate his question. He is so new to this that he can’t help feeling insecure when trying to seek reassurance and not look like a melt at the same time.

“You think— um…” he mutters, his green eyes shifting from Chloe to the floor, and then to his hands. While he makes a small pause, he proceeds to scratch the back of his neck, “You think it could work?”

When noticing what he’s asking about, Chloe fights hard against her facial muscles as not to let out a small chuckle; she finds it quite adorable to have this ever-so-confident man, who doesn’t showcase his feelings most of the time, looking actually timid regarding this topic. And, once she replies with a positive and assured nod, she finds it even more amusing to see Dicky’s shyness dissipate and being replaced by his classic cornered smirk, his gaze acquiring a small brightness she doesn’t remember seeing before, her approval being all he needs for now to convince himself that things working out between him and Minni is not impossible. Needless to say, this is a huge relief for him.

Right after that, there’s a brief silence between the two, as the realization that she’s also storing a secret and keeping it from her partner dawns on the cellist. Feeling tense and worried all of the sudden, Chloe figures that, given how hard it was for Dicky to come clean about his crush on Minni, she pretty much owes him to be completely honest too.

“Whilst we’re kind of confessing, I...” the posh-like girl briefly bites her bottom lip and hesitates for a moment. Next, Chloe’s vivacious canary-coloured orbs shift to level with Dicky’s, convincing herself that it’s only fair to reciprocate the honesty. Realising how extremely close she is from revealing this strange enchantment towards Gary, it strings fear of being in the wrong with her feelings. “I dunno, I’ve perhaps been finding Gary a tad charming,” she timidly vocalises and wonders what the mechanic could think of this. After so many attempts of disregarding her attraction towards the spiky-haired blond, admitting it out loud brings uncertainty to Chloe’s mind and ponders if she’s done right by confessing it. 

“Goldilocks?!” Jason stretches an entertained grin over his bearded cheeks and thinks he probably misheard what the Londoner’s just said. “You fancy that crane-obsessed bloke?” He sneers out a hefty chuckle out of disbelief.

Despite the surprising revelation, Dicky is fascinated to imagine a sophisticated bird like Chloe going after his close mate, but the more thought he puts into the odd pairing, it’s satisfying to know she’s fancying a worthy man like Gary. And, as for the blue-eyed Chathamite, Jason reckons his friend needs a great woman like Chloe to keep that lad in check.

Sheer embarrassment floods over the stunning theatre performer after allowing that to slip out of her dumb mouth. She should’ve known it’s daft of her to fancy Gary and with Dicky’s reaction, being closest mate with him, it only proves that the concept of pursuing anything with the crane operator comes across as delusional.

Wilfully crossing her arms, Chloe hopes the dimmed night shadows her flushed cheeks, “Oh, it’s just a silly idea. Forget I’ve said anything.”

Noticing how the golden-eyed girl shuts down into pure self-consciousness— a trait he strongly identifies with, Jason exchanges his amused grin for a sincere smile. As his only method to demonstrate comfort, he lightly pats her small shoulder. “Nah, mate. Gary’s a good lad. I reckon he’d be chuffed to know you fancy him,” Dicky teases.

Chloe instantly darts her trembling pupils at the relaxed mechanic and develops a nervous pout to imagine how discomforting she’ll be if Gary finds out about this. Hell, it was already difficult enough to admit it out loud. “Dicky, please. For the love of Mozart, _please_ don’t tell Gary,” she pleads, apprehensively. Diving deeper into her false convincement, the classy cellist sighs a wisp of oxygen between her plush lips and blinks her sight over to her lavish dark trousers. “Besides, he’s not even my type, so it’s obvious him and I would never work out,” Chloe mulishly utters.

Having to endure how hardheaded the Londoner is being right now; all Dicky does is shake his head and profoundly inhale the intriguing news that’s come from her. Quite honestly, he wasn’t expecting to hear that she’s fancying Gary when Lucas and she seem to have been getting along well.

“You know for a smart and posh bird, you can sometimes be numpty,” the mechanic effortlessly blurts out.

Because of the unfiltered comment, Chloe squints a glare at her indifferent partner and forms a displeased pout that makes the side of her nose scrunch a bit of wrinkle. As insulted as she wants to feel, she silently admits that she does tend to make some questionable decisions. However, when it comes to Gary, it all seems indefinite just because she’d be stepping into new territory and constantly reminding herself that he’s the complete opposite of her usual type, when a man like Lucas is exactly what she’s accustomed to. Now thinking about the date with Lucas from earlier, not only did she have a swell time, but their chat flowed organically, especially when he made it very clear that he’s interested in her.

Suddenly, a distinctive baritone voice disrupts Chloe’s ponders, diverting her attention back to Dicky. Still, with folded arms over his chest, the raven-haired man stretches out his long legs. “Just give him a chance, mate. Like I said, he’s a good lad,” he sincerely suggests.

Right when the theatre musician is trying to persuade the idea of getting to know Lucas instead, her heart powerfully pounds under her thin blouse after Jason’s short but encouraging words. The mere glimpse of a plausible chance with Gary makes her feel an unexplainable giddiness that she hasn’t felt in a long time and, quite frankly, this scares her. Not only because she’s going outside of her norm, but most importantly because there’s still the likeliness that the handsome blue-eyed man only sees her as a friend. Her head then retracts to last night’s kitchen chat and remembers when Gary told her about another girl he’s grown interested in. Even though she tries not to think much about it, let-down overflows her head and resumes to stubbornly label the brawny Chathamite as a friend.

“Just _please_ promise me you won’t say anything just as I won’t say anything about Minni,” Chloe sighs, feeling the need to remind Dicky about keeping their chat between just the two of them.

It’s almost automatic how Dicky feels nervous about the idea of Minni finding out about his secret before he gets the chance to think of how to confess it, if he ever chooses to do so. His mind goes back to all of the times he’s seen her all cosy and cuddly with Rocco that he can’t help but think that it is likely he will get rejected from the get-go, at least for now. This only causes him to close off, the small glimmers of happiness he has been showing in the past minutes getting replaced by his usual poker face.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dicky grumbles his answer and waves a hand in the air, easily dismissing whatever worry Chloe is having. He may be an arse a lot of the time, but he well knows how to keep a secret.

The cellist thankfully nods and exhales a tiring breath; today has been a never-ending chain of surprises. At this point, she just wants to chill with the others and have a couple of drinks. A concluding silence lingers between the dark-haired pair as they get up to leave the seclusion they’ve had at the terrace to go back to the party.

“I suppose it’s best that we join the other—” her luxurious voice cuts into a short squeal when she senses the warmth of a strange hug.

The stunned cellist rapidly blinks her bright enlarged eyes to process the idea of Dicky actually being slightly affectionate and hugging her. His subtle cedarwood and pine scent delightfully surrounds the brunette’s nose when his big frame looms over her petite figure. Whilst his long arms awkwardly cradle her upper body, Chloe manages to wrap her slender arms around his stiff torso to lightly pat over his cool leather jacket and return the kind gesture.

“Erm, thank you...” Dicky quietly mumbles against her brown hair, “... you know, for everything.”

That’s all Chloe hears from the brunet mechanic, but it’s all she needs to hear to make her gratefully smile against his broad shoulder, knowing tonight has brought them closer than ever.

Not only is he relieved to clear things up with his current partner, but it’s liberating for Dicky to trustfully tell someone about his feelings towards Minni; going for an appreciative hug was his only impulsive reaction before heading down to the rest of the Islanders.

Suddenly, right in the middle of their embrace, the older couple shift their heads to the side after hearing an abrupt click coming from the threshold. Just as the door swings open, a wide muscular frame peeks out to instantly freeze after spotting the off-putting sight of Dicky and Chloe caught up in, what it seems, a very private and intimate moment.

Gary’s toned muscles go incredibly tense to view how close Jason is holding the classy dark-haired woman, her hourglass figure fully accepting a warm-looking embrace. To ease off the awkward silence between the three, the pair detach from their hug and set their full attention on the blond Chathamite. 

This entire time, Gary has believed that nothing romantic has sparked between the two, but seeing how they were holding each other with much endearment demolishes his spirit. 

“Oh, sorry,” the blue-eyed man mutters, whilst attempting to swallow that same demoralising sensation he felt when Chloe happily came back with Lucas from their date. Hoping it distracts the uneasy twists pinching the insides of his abdomen, he briefly scratches the golden facial patch sitting underneath his bottom lip, “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Although the crane operator knows it’s wrong of him to feel upset about this, he can’t ignore how his heart flutters up his throat when the stunning Londoner honours him with a gorgeously dimpled smile, only making him go weak to a simple expression. 

“Oh, Dicky’s just being a melt. He’s quite the cuddler, actually,” Chloe states, teasingly. Her smirk widens after noticing the mechanic’s toothy smile immediately downturn into an irked scowl after being targeted as a softie.

Then, she gives him a knowing glance. As his sole response, Jason rolls his eyes, actually trying to fight grinning the elegant brunette’s banter. Seeing this, Gary can’t deny that they’re clearly getting closer at every given minute. It takes all of his willpower to not frown, when he’s now fully convinced that he will never have an opportunity with Chloe. 

To top it all off and despite the recent arrival from the new boys, it’s evident enough for Gary that Chloe and Dicky are the most solid couple here next to Hope and Noah. And, although it’s amazing to see his closed-off friend finally giving someone as marvellous as Chloe a proper chance, there’s a hint of selfishness within Gary that continues to sin and fancy the classical cellist. 

Quickly gulping his feelings for the golden-eyed beauty, Gary masks his disappointment with a friendly grin, “Emsworth? A melt _and_ cuddly?” He breathes out a chuckle and eases his softened gaze over to Chloe. “You’ve finally made him crack, huh,” he adds with an impressed smirk stretching his blond stubble. 

“It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that,” the Londoner swiftly replies, playfully.

At this point, Dicky knows his grumpy character is the centre of the joke once again and, before he grows more irritated to hear these two making fun of him, he gently guides the blond and brunette duo out the door to join the others, “Bloody hell, both of you are getting on my nerves.” 

**In the kitchen – Evening. **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzIn-8Y0jGI)****

The party’s music grows in volume as the trio goes downstairs, deciding to settle on the kitchen, where Minni, Priya, Lottie and Ibrahim are hanging out. They see the group of animated Islanders by the counter, chatting as they share some drinks. What catches their attention the most is the glass of purple mix with something red floating in it that Ibrahim is handing Lottie. 

“… why is there a tomato slice in it?” they hear the Aussie confusedly ask as soon as they walk in.

“It’s his shield!” Minni exclaims next to her, enthusiastic.

It’s needless to say that the physics student has had a great day so far; she got to have a nice date with Henrik, then spent all of the afternoon cuddling and having nice chats with Rocco and now she’s hanging out with the rest of the Islanders at what is so far a great party. Also, she’s just finished sharing a round of shots with Bobby, alcohol mainly helping her lift her already excited mood and reminding her of the numerous uni parties she goes to on the outside.

Still, she guesses she will have to go find Rocco soon, giving the fact that he has gotten quite clingy after the two new boys’ arrival; Minni doesn’t really mind this, but she has found it a bit difficult to balance her partner’s constant need to be reassured and having a good time with the other lads. Whereas she’s always had trouble to settle down with one person this soon, she is making the effort of making him feel that he has nothing to worry about and that her head is not being turned despite thinking that Henrik is quite appealing. So far, she’s been one of the most comforting girls here when it comes to striking down her partner’s insecurities regarding the new men.

As the blue-eyed girl’s gaze scans the Villa in search of her current partner, she spots Dicky, Chloe and Gary entering the kitchen, and beacons her cellist friend to scoot closer with an animated grin.

“Yeah, that’s what I was going for,” Ibrahim says to Lottie. “Try it.”

Perplexed, Lottie dips her pinky in the drink and then licks it tentatively. “Um… yeah, that’s…” she starts saying, but pauses to think. “Wait. Has that got cayenne pepper and tequila in it?” 

“And a little tabasco sauce,” Minni adds, maintaining her smile. Next, she leans her head on Chloe’s shoulder, something that makes the Londoner let out a small chuckle, not knowing if the younger girl is already tipsy or if her always affectionate attitude is being enhanced by how happy she is right now.

“It’s good, right?” the golfer asks Lottie, both still focused on their chat about the odd beverage.

“Surprisingly, yes. I’ll have one of those,” the makeup artist grins at him with satisfaction.

After that, everyone in the group decides to also ask for one of Ibrahim’s inventions: The Violet Man, he calls it. The golfer and Minni are quick to take a place at the other side of the counter to prepare more drinks, both doing their best to mix the different sets of liquids. Not being so sure about it, Chloe kindly asks Ibrahim to prepare her a Mai Tai, her favourite drink, and he agrees immediately. Only Gary refrains from asking for a drink, and Dicky notices this instantly.

“You alright, mate?” the mechanic asks him, gulping a bit of his purple drink— he thought it was spicier, with it only tickling his throat a bit, so he chugs down half the glass in one go.

Despite the party’s animated atmosphere, the crane operator can’t help drowning in his insecurities, all of this being heightened by what he’s just seen going on at the roof terrace between his mate and Chloe. And now, being down here again with a larger group of people, he realises that he hasn’t spent any time with Marisol at all, probably because she seems to have been avoiding him most of the day, just like yesterday.

“It all feels a little different tonight,” Gary confesses, doing his best to disguise his worries. “The dynamics have changed.”

“You’re just worried that they’re bringing the boys some competition,” Priya responds, casually.

“Nah, it’s not them I’m worried about to be honest…” the blond man says, truthfully. “Me and Marisol aren’t really seeing eye to eye.”

His declaration causes Dicky to let out a small sigh. Not wanting to be too expressive in front of so many people, he chooses to pat his best mate’s back instead, as a way to comfort him. It doesn’t surprise the older Chathamite when he sees Gary attempting to uselessly shrug off his bad thoughts and insecurities and plastering a small smile on his face.

“Give me a glass of that stuff, Ibrahim,” the crane operator requests before anyone else can react, trying way too hard to not think about how down he feels.

Knowing that this is his usual way to deal with things when he doesn’t feel ready to, Dicky chooses to follow along and is fast on finishing his own Violet Man to also ask for another one. In no time, Ibrahim and Minni have already prepared two more drinks, the tomato slice in each one of them standing out against the violet liquid.

“You’re brave men taking on the Violet Man,” Minni jokes, sliding the two drinks towards the Chatham men.

As the information of Dicky fancying the blue-eyed girl has already sunk in for Chloe, she is now so hyperaware of it that she starts noticing all of these small things about the mechanic she can’t believe she missed before. The musician cautiously watches Jason accepting the drink with an almost imperceptible smile, as he shyly keeps quiet, when he would typically follow along the banter or reply with a mocking joke. Then, as soon as he realises that the tomato slice on top of his Violet Man has been carefully shaped into a star, his cheeks flush with red colour, causing him to avoid eye contact, as if he’s swallowing his feelings towards the freckled girl in front of him.

“I’m sure I can handle a little heat,” Gary banters at Minni, making Chloe turn her attention to him. Following that, the Londoner sees the crane operator taking an overconfident sip. As he tastes the drink, his cocky expression shifts to a grimace. “Oh, damn. Oh. Ouch!” he sputters and coughs slightly. Up next, he turns his face to the side and covers his mouth, now utterly ashamed he feels for not being able to handle the spiciness, especially when his mate has already chugged down half of it right next to him, “Oh, woah. That’s hot. That’s…” 

“I didn’t think it was too bad...” Lottie pouts and utters under her breath.

Her phrase only makes Gary feel more insecure, this being more evident now that his face has turned red— he can’t discern if it’s from embarrassment or from how hot the drink feels inside his mouth and throat.

Concerned, Dicky just watches him intently, whereas Chloe’s eyes grow evidently preoccupied.

“Are you alright, Gary?” the cellist asks, placing a concerning hand on his broad shoulder. She just earns a nod as a response, with the younger Chathamite taking some distance and his eyes wandering across the kitchen.

“Where did I leave my water bottle?” Gary asks, trying to excuse himself. At this moment, the only thing he can think of to escape his awkward situation is to get out of the place.

Without another word, he shuffles away from the group and walks away towards a secluded place near the swinging chair, out of everyone’s sight. This leaves the group of Islanders quite confused and perplexed, none of them reacting immediately but Lottie, who comes over to Ibrahim in a poised manner.

“Ibrahim, can I get one of those Violet Men to go, please, and also a glass of milk?” she orders, leaning against the counter beside the golfer.

“Milk?” Ibrahim questions, exchanging a confused look with both Chloe and Minerva.

“It’s for Gary. Milk is good for settling down spice,” the Aussie clarifies and curves a smirk across her dark purple lips.

Casually deciding to follow her request and despite knowing that she could pour the glasses herself, Ibrahim doesn’t take too much time in handing her the two glasses. In this split second, Dicky notices that Lottie’s intentions are to go and find Gary to have a private chat with him, something that the mechanic finds odd since she’s mostly unkind to his best mate.

Not willing to give her the opportunity to chat with Gary in what Dicky reckons is a vulnerable moment for him, the raven-haired man finishes his second drink in one go, rapidly stands up from his stool and steps forward.

“I reckon he needs an _actual mate_ right now,” he remarks, putting his tall and imponent frame between Lottie and the two glasses that have just been placed on the counter. To further his statement, Jason takes a large gulp of the Violet Man Ibrahim’s just poured, finishing it in one go. “Thanks for the drink, love,” he sneers at Lottie with a wink.

After that and without waiting for a proper response, he takes the glass of milk in his hand and walks away and towards the swinging chair to find his best mate.

**At the swinging chair – Evening.** **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrD-YAOH-g) **

Heavy black boots stomp on each crunching sound that’s coming from the grass as Dicky makes his way over to Gary’s direction. Getting a better view of his younger friend, green-hazel eyes steady over at the muscular crane operator silently sitting on the spacious swinging chair all by himself. Gary supports his strained upper body when he props his elbows on his knees, pale hands now hanging loosely whilst his blank stare never leaving the infinite length of the shimmering pool water.

Still observing the troubled spiky-haired blond, Dicky is almost certain that his mate doesn’t even realise he’s not alone.

“That Violet Man really gave you the sweats, didn’t it?” Jason teases as a way to ease in the small talk. Not hearing Gary respond to the light-hearted comment, the tall mechanic carefully takes a seat beside him. Glimpsing down at the cold glass of milk he’s taken from Lottie, Dicky clears his throat as he remembers why he’s come over here. “Brought you some milk to cool you off, bruv. I reckon it’ll help to ease off the spice,” he offers.

In that moment, Gary abandons his absent expression from the pool and exchanges it for the view of his raven-haired friend, who’s holding the glass of milk out for him to accept. The younger Chathamite detaches his lips to speak up but, regretful of doing so, he then closes his mouth. Seemingly, Gary’s light eyes swim in uncertainty; almost like he’s been pondering about something. He briefly scrunches his lips into a thin line but manages to plaster an easy-going grin to not give Jason any reason to suspect that there’s something wrong.

“Thanks, mate, but I’m good,” the brawny man simply states, still applying the effort to keep his chill persona, despite feeling his gut twisting into hurled knots.

After taking a good look at him, Dicky slightly slumps his shoulder to realise how caught up he’s been in his own turmoil of emotions today, just now acknowledging Gary’s weird behaviour. Especially when the blond lad didn’t take long to snap like he did at the kitchen– similar to yesterday’s morning when Lottie went at him for dumping Hannah from the Villa. It only takes the brunet man a few seconds to connect the dots: with the new boys’ arrival and how they’re stirring things up today, it’s not far-fetched to assume that Gary is feeling under pressure and doesn’t know if he’ll keep up with the competition. Despite the utter confidence Rennell carries, there’s no denying that he tends to crumble down easily if he starts to compare himself to other attractive men.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Dicky cautiously asks.

To such a simple question, Gary’s smile tenses and struggles to maintain it, knowing deep down what his truthful answer is. Though he’s committed to keeping his fake grin, he’s aware that Dicky knows him too well to fall for it.

“Of course I’m alright. The party’s great, there’s good music, Rahim’s making drinks, we have fit girls and...” his voice trails off to a quieter tone, hoping he’s convincing. “I’m chuffed to be here,” he finishes, reluctantly.

Short blinks cause Dicky’s incredulous eyes to narrow at what Gary’s just said. Never leaving the view of the blond’s false smile, the dark-haired Islander takes the same cool beverage in hand and draws it near his lips to take a generous gulp. Still taking his time to thoroughly enjoy the drink, Dicky raises his slit eyebrow. His piercing glare continues to scan the grin pinched on Gary’s golden beard and moves over to analyse how much it contradicts the gloom that evidently drains the colour out of his sky-blue eyes.

Allowing the bit of milk that he’s just consumed to settle in his stomach, Dicky relaxes a sigh and resumes his attention to his friend.

“Look, I’m sure Lucifer and Swedish Bear Grylls are feeling like they have the upper hand ‘cos all the girls’ attention is on them, and it _can_ be intimidating, I reckon,” the mechanic begins. His sincere gaze never leaves the silent blond and continues, “Seeing them all bloody confident and fit doesn’t help when it brings bad memories and all, so I get that. And, as well as we know each other, you should know by now that I say it how it is: you have nothing to worry about, lad.”

By this time, Gary’s dropped the fake smile and swaps it for a confused agape that loosens his strong jaw as perturbed pupils lightly shake, “H-How...?” The younger man murmurs, too defeated to even ask how Jason could see right through him. This entire day, he’s believed he’s done quite well to keep his cool in front of the others.

A small chuckle airs out of Jason’s lungs and half smiles at his friend’s perplexity. “Rennell, I’ve known you since you were _twelve_ and if my mate feels a tad gutted, it won’t get past me,” he knowingly states, laying a quick but encouraging pat on the crane operator’s back.

A split second is all it takes for Dicky to notice he’s been chatting with those same boyish blue eyes he first met in school. No matter the amount of impressive bulky layers of muscles Gary could have, it’s not enough to bury the trail of insecurities when thinking he’s less attractive compared to other men. Not even masking it with that usual lofty grin or a set of awful puns will internally bring him at ease.

“There’s still a part of you that was scarred for being picked on by those big and popular lads years ago, but then there’s also that other part who’s annoyingly cocky and more confident than that scrawny adolescent you sometimes see in yourself. Don’t let the competition get to your head like that, mate,” Jason briefly pauses as he casually takes another gulp of milk, “Yes, we’re at risk of getting dumped but, honestly? Those new blokes have nothing on us, bruv. Besides, I reckon there’s at least _one_ girl who considers you as a first choice for the next Recoupling, if not more.”

The crane operator knows Dicky doesn’t mess around; if Gary didn’t have a chance of staying in the show, his mate wouldn’t try to sugar coat the news. And, despite how cold and distant Dicky can come across, his uplifting speech brings a tint of confidence that Gary has lacked for the past couple of days— and for that, he’s appreciative of having such a good friend like him. Some people might label Jason’s bluntness as rude and even arrogant, but that’s one of the reasons why the younger blond trusts him so blindly. Just as the older brunet appreciates loyalty and honesty on a deep level, so does Gary.

Soon after his ears try to process that meaningful speech, an excruciating sting begins to deeply clutch into Gary’s guts when he reminds himself how dishonest he’s been with Jason. It’s even painful to take a glimpse at his green-hazel eyes when Dicky’s clear objective is to uplift his spirits, all whilst the blond Chathamite silently continues to fancy his partner, Chloe. Even when he was coupled up with Minerva, Gary remembers how sincerely upfront his raven-haired mate was when confessing his crush towards the Cambridge student. Despite he wishes to reciprocate the deserving sincerity, the pale muscular man refrains from doing so, especially after seeing how Jason’s allowed the classy cellist to be affectionate with him at the rooftop terrace.

“Thanks, mate,” Gary sharply sighs as that’s the only thing he manages to say with a tightened throat. He swiftly licks his dry lips before swallowing the last bit of dignity he has for being Jason’s mate, “I really appreciate it.”

“Hm, you don’t sound convinced,” Dicky squints at the visibly distressed crane operator. “If you need another pep talk, you might as well say it now because I kind of wanna go back to the kitchen and nick some biscuits for my milk,” he nonchalantly adds, lifting the half-empty glass of milk and swirls the beverage a bit.

“No, it’s alright, really. It’s just...” Gary’s burly fingers push the black frames to meet the root of his nose and feels more determined to confess, which causes a troubled breath to judder out of his chest. “I want to tell you something before you go,” he carefully sucks in the last of his words, nervous to possibly upset his older mate.

Taking notice at Gary’s flattened tone of voice, he rapidly catches Jason’s attention. “Go on, then,” he simply responds as a curious hazel stare lingers on the blond lad.

“There’s this bird that I’ve been liking...” the crane operator hesitantly pauses to collect his next sentence and cowardly looks down at his hands rather than keeping eye contact with Dicky. “I’ve tried not to, but I really fancy her, but I can’t go after her ‘cos...”

“Mhmm?” The brunet man angles the glass of milk near his lips and takes hefty gulps whilst listening to the blue-eyed Islander, gesturing for him to continue.

“Because she’s coupled up with you,” Gary declares, gobsmacked to have finally said it out loud.

Taken aback by the surprising statement, an unpleasant gag disrupts Dicky’s last gulp and makes him atrociously choke on his drink. Brutal coughs thunder out of his oesophagus and just as the raven-haired man battles through the persistent coughs, at some point he’s tumbled the cup on the ground. Forcing out the last bit of his heaved breath, the mechanic wipes his mouth with his leather jacket’s sleeve and ultimately shifts his watery eyes over to Gary.

Thinking that confessing his liking for the elegant musician would make the spiky-haired man feel minimally better for being direct, seeing how terribly Jason’s responded to the news only deflates the younger Chathamite into pure shame. And, understanding that the dark-haired couple have probably been developing romantic feelings for each other, Gary’s ready to tell his mate that he won’t be getting in the way of his happiness— regardless of this revelation.

Dicky eventually recovers from the abrupt stages of cough and takes a moment to let his partner’s name sink in, “You mean Chloe? Braided brown hair, with the beauty mark?” He asks with widened eyes, still caught in a string of shock.

Not having enough energy to speak up, Gary only responds with a weak nod. Even though he’s hoping the confession about the golden-eyed beauty doesn’t anger his mate, the muscular blond still internally prepares himself for the worse to come. But, much to his surprise, instead of expecting an upset man, he sees Dicky break into a wild grin.

“Oh, mate...” the mechanic’s mouth betrays a knowing smirk, still in disbelief that those two mutually like each other. Wanting to keep the subtlety, Jason runs his hand down his mouth and lingers on his dark stubbled chin to ease off the smirk, but it only seems to widen the expression, “I mean, she’s a lovely bird. I’m sure she could keep you in check and she seems to tolerate your awful jokes, so I say that’s brilliant! You know, that you fancy her.”

Gary parts his lips and keeps his mouth wide open, puzzled to how strangely supportive Dicky’s being, “Wait… but I thought...” he stutters. “I thought you two were quite solid. Why are you...?” The blond’s voice faints and blinks out his confusion.

“Me and Chloe are just good mates,” Dicky offers an assuring smile but rapidly loosens his lips, careful enough to not allow an evident frown to solidify the sadness that begins to cramp up in his chest. “And honestly, I haven’t stopped fancying Minni. It’s one of the reasons why Chloe and I haven’t been romantic.”

“Does Chloe know that?” The crane operator asks, cautiously.

A simple nod motions Jason’s head. “Yeah. She was proper buzzed about the idea, actually. For some reason, she thinks we could make a good match,” he concludes with a shrug, although his eyes acquire some light by the idea.

Gary stretches a pleased beam and can’t say he disagrees with Chloe’s opinion; happy he is that his older mate is becoming more comfortable with the idea of liking Minni. And, even though the Cambridge student carries a bubbly and positive personality, which completely contrasts Dicky’s cold and distant behaviour, weirdly enough, he thinks that the pair _can_ work out if given the opportunity.

Not taking long to drift back at the thought of the classy cellist, Gary begins to wonder if him and Chloe could ever be a good match. Doubt clouds his head once more to think she’s far beyond what he typically goes for. This woman is pure class, well-educated, and with complete etiquette– everything he isn’t and can never be for her. There’s absolutely no way a posh bird like Chloe could ever give a rugged-looking bloke like him the chance when he’s almost positive she’s only ever dated men of her kind. Somehow, his sky-blue eyes glance over to the daybeds where he can clearly see the hazel-eyed woman comfortably sitting with Lucas right beside her. Feeling a little discouraged to see how the physiotherapist is evidently working his charm on the London beauty, Gary can’t help but think how well they blend together if they were officially a couple. Just by their physical appearance and how lavish they’re dressed; it almost looks like they’re meant to be coupled up.

After picking up the glass he previously and accidentally knocked over to the ground, Dicky then looks down at his shirt to spot a few milk dots clinging on his white shirt and assumes it must’ve been when he was coughing his lungs out a few minutes ago. Just as he’s wiping off the sprinkles of milk from his clothes, Gary speaks up.

“Do you think Chloe could ever fancy me back?” The crane operator blurts out the question, an unsure frown resting on his full lips.

Jason can only keep his emerald-hazel poker face stare on his friend and whilst he’s ready to truthfully answer his question, Chloe’s voice keeps bugging his head and reminding him to never tell anyone about her liking for Gary. Now feeling uncomfortably cornered, between the impulse of being sincere with his friend and keeping his promise to Chloe, Dicky has to bite his tongue for a moment and fight his facial muscles, so he doesn’t give too much away. The tall raven-haired man draws a hand to awkwardly scratch the back of his head and glues his eyes to the cup he’s holding.

“I dunno, lad. Maybe you should talk to her. She’s all about being direct and, from what it seems, Lucas has been quite clear about grafting on her,” Jason suggests, not knowing how else to help his mate out.

The Chathamites’ heads turn to hear a distant velvety giggle airing out from the daybeds and they can easily distinguish Chloe widening an entertained smile, flustered at whatever Lucas could be telling her. Despite the obvious competition the handsome Asian man will be, Gary levels his blue gaze at the impeccable sight of the girl he’s been fancying and an unexpected jolt of that familiar confidence washes all over him. Now feeling far better that Dicky knows about his secret crush towards the classy musician, this begins to arrange the idea of confronting Chloe about how he feels about her; he’ll just have to find the perfect moment to do that.

“You’re right, mate,” Gary shoots a long exhale through his teeth and nods in agreement.

Jason can’t ignore how discomforting it is having to hide anything from his best friend, especially knowing that Gary could feel a lot better about himself if he knew that Chloe fancies him back. Changing the topic is the only way the brunet man can go about finding a distraction.

“Come on man, let’s go back to that party and show those birds who the real men are here,” Dicky half smirks at the banter and decides to stand up, feeling the younger blond Islander hop off his seat, now with a restored energy similar to how he was first entering the Villa.

Then, a cocky grin spreads across Gary’s golden bearded cheeks, “You’re right and we _are_ Southeast’s finest.” He puffs out his chest as he straightens his muscled back.

Not finding the quote all that pleasant, Dicky lightly winces before rolling his eyes and shaking his head, “If you use that phrase again, I won’t even feel bad if you get kicked out of this place,” he mutters under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀 So how are we feeling you guys? A lot happened on this day and the next chapter is going to be even better so stay tuned for the next update!! 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are welcomed and super appreciated 💛 💛 💛 You guys already know you're amazing for supporting this story. Also, if you haven't checked it out prior, we've had the talented Smaiihands on tumblr to create our gorgeous cellist, Chloe Manseau 😌 If you want to check her out, here's the link to the commission: https://smaiihands.tumblr.com/post/622596210054807552/commission-chloe-manseau-i-was-commissioned
> 
> Until next time, Islanders! 
> 
> -mrsgaryrennell


	8. Day 6 - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you ever see Rocco trying it on with the other girls in here?” Chloe finally speaks up as she instantly grasps everyone’s attention, directing her question to the blue-eyed girl.
> 
> For a moment, Minni forgets to release her stored breath, not liking the Londoner’s direct question one bit but, knowing Chloe’s intentions, she’s simply trying to figure this whole thing out for her. “I… I don’t know,” she gently stutters, her voice now scattering in fragility to the thought of her partner betraying and humiliating her. She’s been nothing but loyal and given him the reassurance he consistently keeps asking for. “Y-you girls would have told me,” the freckled young woman utters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, beautiful people.｡.:*☆ here we are once again with a brand new chapter! it's been a delight to write with my amazing co-author as always, and we're so excited for you to read what we have in store! this chapter is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, so we hope you enjoy reading☆彡  
> -cassiahalley

**Day 6**

**Part 1.**

**In the bedroom - Morning.**

The big communal bedroom is filled with feminine giggles as some of the girls have taken the chance to stay inside and gossip about what’s happened since the two new boys arrived to the Villa. They’re currently reunited in the beds that are in the middle of the room, whispering to one another. Now with more boys than girls in competition, the forced rivalry ambiance that has been looming since the first Recoupling has toned down, even giving space for some of the most competitive girls like Marisol and Lottie to take a breather. The atmosphere feels lighter today, something that could be considered rare in a place in which the Islanders are being constantly tested.

“A day in the sun and enough sexy men to make two boy bands of four each?” Priya continues with the conversation with a confident smile.

An airy chuckle escapes Minni’s plump lips. The younger brunette is sitting cross-legged on one of the mattresses, her wavy hair slightly messy and dressed in her pink pyjama set, still slightly asleep. Even if her insomnia is a nightly struggle for her, it has gotten better since she’s not at risk of getting sent home, causing her to impressively have two full-night sleeps in a row, something she’s not quite used to, not even on the outside. This has made her be in a brighter mood than her usual bubbliness and light-hearted attitude, if possible. Minerva is having such a good time in the Island that she can’t help but feel like she’s on top of the world— or at least on top of the Villa.

Yesterday, she got asked to go on a date with new boy Henrik, who has been evidently flirty with her ever since he entered the show. It goes without saying that the blue-eyed girl definitely thinks that he fits into what it could be considered her type: blond, carefree, outgoing and friendly. The climbing instructor is so cheerful that Minni can’t help but feel a pulling attraction towards him. However, she’s not exactly sure if all of the wilderness activities he’s into are of her liking; Minni has an open mind to try and go on exciting adventures, but she’s still too much of a city girl to spend most of her time in the open.

In contrast, the other new boy, Lucas, is not exactly her type straight away and, besides, he appears to be very interested in Chloe so far; Minni would never consider grafting on someone who could be a potential partner to one of her best friends in here, a reason why she has never considered getting flirty with Dicky either, regardless of the fact that she finds him incredibly handsome. Still, the physiotherapist seems to be genuinely smart and cultured, traits that have such a plus in the Cantabrigian’s eyes. In addition to this, he has a sarcastic and blunt sense of humour that Minni enjoys witnessing, although it wasn’t pleasant for her to see how this same characteristic of his clashed with Dicky’s ironic and unfiltered attitude. Despite how on edge she felt when the two men were being harsh to one another, the freckled girl reckons that this was just caused by the tension of having new competition being thrown at them, and hopes it doesn’t happen again. Needless to say, Minerva is such an emotional being that she gets deeply affected by conflict around her. The blue-eyed girl absorbs other people’s feelings and problems like if she was a sponge— she has noticed that she and Bobby share this characteristic, which explains why she felt an almost instant connection with him even if it’s not in a romantic aspect.

Although the new boys are certainly eye-catching and that she’s been grafted by practically every lad in here, Minni is not thinking of dropping Rocco for any of them straight away. Things have been going great between him and her after all, especially yesterday. The curly-haired man gives her undivided attention and pampers her so much that the physics student needs some time away from him during the day, something that is not a problem because he tends to disappear unexpectedly for a couple of hours and then come back to her side without warning. Minerva definitely enjoys his company and physical affection, but still can’t decide if she likes _him_ as a partner or if she’s just liking the way he treats her while having fun by laughing at whatever mystical, being-one-with-the-universe speech he comes up with in their conversations.

“Or we choose one boy to each be our servant for the day, and then we make the two leftover boys wrestle,” Lottie follows up Priya’s comment, flicking her pastel-coloured hair over her tattooed shoulder.

Her sentence confuses Minni, who ends up wincing internally. “Mate,” she laughs awkwardly, scratching her forehead.

“Well, whatever your thing is…” Hope tells the makeup artist, obviously thinking that the idea is a bit strange too. “Today is going to be fun!”

The braided woman’s exclamation seems to be the cue for the rest of the girls to finish the conversation and part ways in order to get ready for the day. Minerva stays where she is as she watches all of them head to the dressing room, planning on taking her time to stretch before getting up. The younger brunette raises her slender arms in the air and then does down to touch the tip of her toes, a habit that she has carried since her ice-skating days despite not being able to compete anymore; at least she gets to maintain her flexibility. Just as she’s calmly going to switch her hands to the other foot, Minni hears a voice next to her.

“Oh, Minni,” he greets her with a smile. “How come you look even more gorgeous every day?”

The Cambridge student giggles at his words. “Thanks, Rocco,” she graciously accepts the compliment, moving into a normal sitting position in order to pay him attention.

Rocco goes quiet for a moment, and at first Minerva guesses that he’s thinking of something else to flatter her with or a quote that he thinks could be deep, but then his emerald eyes acquire a concerned light whereas he glances around the bedroom, like if he is making sure there’s nobody else in there.

“Have you got a minute?” the tanned man asks, cautiously.

“Sure, what’s up?” the freckled student responds almost automatically, in a kind manner.

The truck owner’s facial expression relaxes a bit. Then, he sits down next to his partner and puts one of his hands over hers, “I love that. Time is such a precious resource. It’s never wasted with you.”

Swallowing the need to joke about his way of speaking, Minni playfully rolls her eyes and smiles, waiting for what he has to say. After this, he proceeds to take both of her hands and look into her eyes. There’s a trace of vulnerability in the way he stares at her, which makes the blue-eyed girl worry for him quite a bit.

“I just wanted to find out where your head’s at. With the new boys coming in and everything,” Rocco starts speaking. “I know you said that you thought you might be mates with them, but I wanted to know how you felt this morning.”

Indeed, yesterday both of them had a long and rather serious talk, in which Minni told her partner that she was planning on chatting to the new boys and getting to know them as mates, especially because she always has a friendly and welcoming approach to people she’s just met. She also got completely honest and stated that she wants to keep her options open until she gets to know everyone, an idea that didn’t please him in the slightest. Although jealousy is a major turnoff for Minerva, she managed to make Rocco understand her point of view and the tension died down between them. After that, as much as the physics student insisted that he can also get to know another girl if he wants to, the curly-haired man was so persistent in the idea that he only feels a special connection with her that the topic was dropped. Still, Minni’s healthy approach to relationships and empath personality had her reassuring the truck owner and telling him that he can be sincere with her if he ever happens to get his head turned.

“Well, I’m definitely going to chat to them. Both could be nice mates, I reckon,” the young woman says to Rocco, recalling their conversation from yesterday.

In an instant, the tanned young man lets go of her hands, his face showing that he is mildly pissed off.

“What?” Minni asks him in a soft voice, puzzled by his reaction. “It’s not like I said I’m going to jump ship or anything.”

Her perplexed expression only makes Rocco avoid her gaze and shake his head, “It’s just… you already know I’m not exactly fine with you grafting on other people.”

Mildly struck by his declaration, the brunette opens her cobalt eyes wide. In this moment, she feels a mixture of confusion and irritation— they had this same chat yesterday and her partner knows exactly what her thoughts on jealousy are. Minerva is sure that she made it clear that possessive behaviours are not of her liking, particularly because she struggles with settling down and has a wide social circle. Besides, she definitely doesn’t need Rocco’s permission to talk to other boys or even to get flirty if she wants to; one thing is not wanting to trade on her partner’s toes by directly grafting other men, but another completely different is letting him tell her what she can’t or can do.

In favour of preventing this conversation from turning into an argument way too early, the blue-eyed girl bottles up her annoyance and decides to take a more chill approach, instead of escalating things right away.

“You think I should ask for your permission to talk to other men, Rocco?” Minerva questions, not being confrontational just yet. If there’s something that she tends to avoid is arguing with people, and she does it as much as possible unless someone pushes the right buttons.

“N-No, I mean…” the truck owner stutters, nervously shifting on his place. “I guess I just didn’t expect you to come out and say that so openly, to be honest.”

“But we agreed to be open about our intentions, didn’t we?” the Cantabrigian states, candidly. “We’re not playing games with each other here, so if I want to chat to them and get to know them, I will, and we will talk about it openly just like we are now,” she explains calmly, using practically the same words she used in their previous conversation. “Besides, I told you I just want to be friends with them for now, it’s not that I’m not going to crack on right away. I don’t understand why you are acting like this…”

Next, Rocco lets out a long and shaky breath. Clearly ashamed, he takes her small hands in his again and finally meets her gaze, “I’m not, like, saying I thought you were going to… I was just trying to be upfront about it.”

“Well, I appreciate you being honest, but your wording sounded... controlling,” Minerva tells him with a sigh.

After her response, her partner nods. He seems to understand as he goes silent, his head bowed while he fixes his eyes on their joined hands. With this gesture, the freckled girl guesses that he didn’t completely mean what he said, because he appears to be frankly embarrassed by the situation.

Even if Minni despises jealousy on a deep level, she lets Rocco have this one just because she knows that emotions in the Villa are running high for all of the boys, and that one can get insecure easily in a place like this. The physics student still remembers how tense she felt when she realised that she was at risk of getting sent home despite knowing that various boys wanted to couple up with her, so she understands that a similar uneasiness could’ve led Rocco to not think properly before expressing his concerns. Still, it worries her that perhaps he is inherently possessive. If this happens to be the case, she will most likely end up pieing him off despite liking him a lot.

“We’re good, aren’t we?” Minni breaks the silence, kindly caressing the back of her partner’s hand to get his attention back.

“Of course,” Rocco offers her a strained smile. “Obviously this is great for you girls. We loved it when there were more girls in the Villa, but it’s not fun now the shoe is on the other foot. One of us boys is definitely in danger at the next Recoupling and we’re all feeling it. Why else do you think Gary’s been out there doing weights all morning?”

Tying to shove off the urge to go and peek at the gym to see the boys in action, the young woman smirks back at the curly-haired man. It’s surprisingly hard for her to let go of her flirty nature, but she chooses to hold back to give herself a moment to think where her head is at regarding Rocco now.

“Don’t worry about it too much. You can trust me,” Minerva reassures him once more and, with that, she notices his green eyes glimmering.

The smile on her partner’s lips widens while he takes her delicate and freckled face with both hands to stare at her alluring blue eyes, right before kissing her briefly. Once he pulls back, all the brunette student sees is a fascinating emerald colour, “I will, especially because there’s no-one I’d rather be with, if I’m honest.”

**In the kitchen - Morning.** [ **♬** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-uWlFq380M) ****

After a rigorous workout with Henrik and Lottie there to watch, Gary now feels quite refreshed after a hot shower. Stepping out to feel the Spanish morning heat tickle his skin, he saunters over to the kitchen’s direction to make his usual cuppa but, by an instant, there’s a view of French feminine curves, appealingly distracting his sight. A delighted beam crinkles the edge of his lips, now feeling more of a need to hang around the kitchen, particularly when it’s only Chloe there.

By the time he arrives, the blond can tell that she’s thoroughly focused on whatever she plans on making. Not being aware of his presence, Gary takes the privilege to drink in her graceful figure. Complimenting her small frame, his curious eyes roam down to admire the soft sandy-coloured flesh that glazes over her beautifully toned legs. Despite being draped in refined swimwear and comparing her unique stylish attire to the rest of the girls, it always seems like the classy cellist is never aware of how much attention she can grasp in a matter of seconds.

Just as her fingers clutch onto the pan’s handle to adjust it over the stove, Chloe blinks her vibrant honey-hued eyes to sense a strong presence from behind. She, then, slightly twists her torso to meet a pair of masculine blue eyes that easily takes her breath away. She can’t help but stretch a dimpled smile just as the spiky-haired man is quick to return it.

“Good morning, stranger,” the brunette musician cheerfully greets him, soon her attention coming back to the counter but still attentive to Gary’s company.

“Morning...” he softly smiles out his reply, but still with deep vocals thundering his chest. Gary decides to stand beside her whilst his wide and muscled frame casts a large shadow over Chloe’s small but voluptuous figure.

Being with her sinks a new light for the crane operator, now that he knows Dicky and she are just friends. Despite the evident competition, mainly coming from Lucas, there’s a certain jolt of self-encouragement to finally pursue Chloe. All this time, he’s yielded himself from properly grafting on the gorgeous Londoner, afraid that he’d ruin the mechanic’s chances of building a connection with a girl. But now, the brawny lad is chuffed to find out if there’s potential attraction between the two.

He leans over with wondrous orbs hovering over Chloe’s shoulder, “What have you got planned to make?” Gary breathes out his question whilst observing the line of ingredients she has scattered on the table. Clearly, she carries better control of the kitchen when compared to his disastrous attempts on the sandwich.

“You know, I’ve been craving French toast for the longest time,” the hazel-eyed Islander factually utters as she begins to whisk a couple of eggs into a bowl. Seeing how she’s planned on only making herself the meal, she starts to wonder if her blond friend is into the dish. The older woman loosens her grip on the fork and angles her head over to Gary, “Fancy a slice or two?” She generously offers.

Shortly after being offered breakfast, Gary doesn’t fight the big grin that lifts his defined cheekbones. “French toast sounds like a proper lush brekkie,” he enthusiastically agrees and pauses to watch her slender fingers happily reach for another egg to complete the second plate. “And I may not have Dicky’s metabolism, but I do have quite the appetite.” He subconsciously grazes his large fingers against his pale muscular stomach as a slight gesture to the anticipated food. Overall, he’s feeling confident that Chloe’s cooking will be brilliant.

The elegant musician diverts her entertained eyes towards the Chathamite’s direction and notices him reaching out to the sink and filling up the kettle with water, assuming he’ll be preparing his usual cup of tea for the morning. Before meeting the handsome crane operator, she’s never encountered someone that consumes so much tea in a day. Without any exaggeration, this bloke surely goes through multiple kettles and religiously intakes every drop that he serves himself.

“How about a blinding cuppa, Clo? You can never go wrong with one, I say.” Gary wholeheartedly offers, hoping she accepts it. After all, the classy bird is being kind enough to make him breakfast and knowing it’s not favourable to provide a worthless hand for help on the cooking, he can only extend a cuppa as his single expertise when it comes to the stove.

“Oh! Um...” Chloe quietly strings an air of her stunned expression, blinking out the confusion.

Not knowing how to react to the offered cup of tea, it’s caught her by surprise as this is certainly the first time he’s ever asked her, but it’s also the fact that this man has just given her a nickname that she can’t help but find quite endearing. Although, she tries not to think much of it considering that Gary’s already given Bobby, Lottie, and Minerva something similar; seemingly, it’s in his nature. Still, she’s pleased to know that the bulky Islander is feeling more comfortable with her.

For a moment, the London beauty forgets that Gary’s waiting to hear from her and steadily nods with gratitude. “Yes, thank you,” she responds with smoothness to her luxurious voice.

An even larger grin traces the bit of wrinkle on the outer corner of his light eyes. The blond lad is visibly gleeful to know Chloe’s accepted his famous tea; easily, his favourite beverage to pamper himself with. And, knowing the easy-going cellist was kind enough to share one of her preferred pass times like the facial masks with him, she was never aware how much that bit of time she spent with him really helped Gary get through a tough time in the Villa, and for that he’s grown completely thankful to have her here. Dealing with the secretive kiss he had with Lottie along with the stress of dumping someone during the first Recoupling, the lovely company from the brunette beauty brought a unique sense of comfort he’s never felt with another girl. And, the more he thinks about their interactions, the tattooed man acknowledges how naturally close they keep getting.

Just then, Gary’s ponders are interrupted when he listens to a suppressed whimper from the cellist’s direction. Now feeling concerned at what might be going on, he guides his thick legs closer to Dicky’s current partner. Watching how tense her fragile muscles outline her small back, he notices another defeated breath release from Chloe. Until now, the blond lad realises that the poor girl is struggling to open up a jar of strawberry jam.

Knowing better than to find this comical, Gary has no willpower to stop himself from letting out a small chuckle at how his dark-haired friend battles with the tiny jar. The blue-eyed man leans his hip against the counter and lingers a grin on his lips.

“Need a hand there?” He asks, amusingly.

Still stubborn to do it herself, Chloe obtains a tighter grip on the darn jar and refuses to feel challenged by an object. Her velvet voice tightens as she continues to struggle but manages to steal a quick glimpse at the attractive crane operator, “I’m sure I can handle it, hun.”

Shortly after and not much to Gary’s surprise, the hazel-eyed woman groans out the failure of opening the jar stuffed with colourful strawberry jam. Ever since Bobby had made a mouth-watering cake and had leftovers of the homemade sauce, the cellist imagined having some delicious French toast with it. Reluctantly, Chloe sets the stupid jar on the counter and looks down at her impacted hands to notice her flesh reddened due to the friction. The Londoner purses her pretty lips into a pout whilst she begins to rub her numbed palms as a way to soothe the slight stinging sensation.

Then, the muscular blond reaches over to grasp the same glass jar, and without putting much effort, he swiftly twists the lid open, making a metal pop sound and curls a knowing smirk down at the gorgeous theatrical musician— almost like he wants to prove a point. “No need to thank me, darling,” he smugly states as he extends his arm out to hand over the container.

Her immediate reaction to such a cocky comment makes Chloe lightly roll her vibrant hazel eyes, but quickly bites her bottom lip to refrain her entertained smile from expanding; it will only feed this man’s satisfaction. Keeping her chin up to level with Gary’s face, the classical cellist lowers her gaze to see the jar he’s still holding out for her to take. She loosens her crossed arms to hold the measly container and playfully bumps her hip against his before retracting all focus back on the pair of plates.

“That’s only because I loosened it for you,” Chloe jokingly says back only to hear the man snort out a small laugh.

It’s pretty evident that she’s full of banter and quite the jolly one during the mornings; it’s exactly his type of energy and enjoys seeing how well the older brunette’s chill demeanour compliments well with his upbeat one. Thinking about how nice it feels to hang around Chloe makes the brawny man recall how terribly distanced he’s felt with Marisol lately. Analysing each passing day, it frustrates him to know that they’re not as compatible as he thought they might be. Even when sharing the same bedsheets, words are barely exchanged which only makes him cringe to think how many times they’ve lingered in awkward silence. And spending time with Chloe by doing something so simple like fixing up breakfast builds a want to know what it’d be like to be coupled up with her instead of trying anything else with Marisol. He can only imagine the thrill to have such a classically beautiful woman as his partner.

“Well I say we make a pretty good team then, eh?” Gary says, confidently.

Not really knowing how else to respond, she corners a small smile to find the comment quite enticing to her ears. Just within seconds, Chloe shakes the silly thought of finding the blond’s tone of voice slightly flirtatious since he’s typically very charming with anyone, but even so, she can sense his enchanted light blue eyes linger on her for a moment before he turns his attention to the kettle. Allowing for her surroundings to catch her attention, the elegant girl momentarily mesmerises her sight to the side and takes notice at how careful he is at pouring a precise amount of milk into each mug. It’s even cute to notice how he peeks out the tip of his tongue at the corner of his mouth and slightly squints his eyes to make sure the measurement is exact. Sharing her morning with Gary brings a wave of fright to realise how natural this feels when, normally, it takes time to feel this comfortable and what’s worse is that she’s loving every second of it.

Finally, after adding the final touches to both dishes, Chloe hooks a thumb on each plate and saunters over to the side of the table, carefully settling them in front of the counter stools. Eager to dig in, the cellist pushes her body towards the chair and sits with her usual elegance. The hazel-eyed beauty straightens her back and crosses her legs by delicately swinging one silky leg over the other, now waiting for Gary to join her. It doesn’t take long for the athletically built Islander to amble his wide frame towards his friend with two steaming mugs on each hand.

Soon enough, he manages to prop a cup on his side and then gently settles the other one in front of the dark-haired bird. “And a cuppa for the lovely Chloe,” the crane operator breathes out a broad smile and hears her politely thank him for the drink.

It doesn’t take long for the instrumentalist to start working on her meal when Gary takes a moment to admire the presentation of the French toast and how it’s evenly drizzled with garnish; he almost feels bad having to rearrange the culinary design. And, giving it a better look, it even feels like he’s about to eat at one of those posh restaurants he keeps hearing about in London.

Chloe draws the fork near her lips until she pauses. Curiosity is easily absorbed when studying Gary’s table manners. Her neatly groomed eyebrow arches as she watches him wolf down his food. It’s noticeable that Gary’s least worry is how he slouches over the plate or the way he leans his elbows on the edge of the table. Not as grotesque as Jason but, knowingly enough, it’s not something the elegant Islander is completely used to when the surroundings outside of the Villa consists of people with endless etiquette, including her own family. Quite frankly, her whole life has consisted of formalities and sustaining her manners but interacting with men as informal and carefree like Gary brings a sense of normalcy that she’s searched for.

Taking just one more glimpse at the blond’s chewing, she thanks the heavens he isn’t a moaner like Dicky.

Just when she was done favouring the younger Chathamite’s eating habits, Chloe faintly winces to hear a delighted moan escape Gary’s mouth after swallowing the piece of sweetened egged bread. His sturdy chest relaxes after exhaling with immense contentment and turns over to the golden-eyed woman who’s already using her fingertips to brush off her concealed smile whilst watching the enthralled Kent native stuffing more food in his mouth.

“Mate, this is bloody delicious,” he muffles out when the stubbled jaw clenches at each savoury bite.

Even though she’s prepared this simple dish numerous times for herself before, hearing the blue-eyed man’s approval transmits a radiant warmth to her stomach. And, she doesn’t want to exteriorly brag, but she must agree that her cooking is exceptional. From not having a hinge of knowledge about cooking, Chloe learned fast when she lived on her own in New York whilst going to uni. Now, it’s a skill she’s grown fond of and might see the culinary art as a hobby due to her enthusiastic love for food.

Her petite back leans against the chair as she curls her index finger to hook her grip on the mug and carefully hovers her full lips to sample the warm tea. Not expecting much from the beverage as she presumes it’ll have the typical taste; Chloe starts to blink her vibrant eyes as her palate discovers a distinctively flavourful beverage. Another tentative sip is taken to analyse it one more time, but she can’t really figure out what’s in it other than the milk and sugar. All she can think of is that she’s now understanding as to why this bloke is so obsessed with his tea if this is how it’s always prepared.

“This tea is quite the delicacy, too. What have you added, if I may ask?” Chloe intently asks as she takes another generous gulp.

A knowing grin spreads across the tattooed lad’s face to hear the interested tone of voice from the older girl and mildly leans in as if he’s about to reveal something secretive. “It’s got a dash of cinnamon. Just like my nan makes them,” Gary quietly replies.

The stunning brunette subtly lifts the inner corners of her dark eyebrows as she intakes the information and nods out a harmonised hum once she finishes her tea. “Good to know. I almost thought you were going to mention some weird ingredient,” the musician banters.

Just as she opens her mouth to say something else, she notices the mechanic’s tall figure stepping out of the Villa with his usual indifferent frown. “I’m sure Dicky will be thrilled to see no leftovers,” Chloe sarcastically remarks.

Gary briefly angles his head to follow her stare and can quickly tell that his childhood mate is already complaining about something with the other boys. Coming back to his own surroundings, he shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that lad. I can guarantee you he’ll never go hungry,” he sneers out the truthful words.

Chloe levels her gaze at her blond friend and scoffs out a genuine laughter, “Trust me, I’m not concerned. Dicky is a walking vacuum for anything edible.”

At the simple mention of Jason, this instantly hits him as a reminder of the meaningful chat he had with his good mate when professing how much he fancies the posh Londoner. Burying himself in a deep debate about whether right now could be a good time to have the chat with Chloe, there’s also a doubtful thought stringing at the back of the blond’s head and wonders if this will scare her away. At the same time, he doesn’t want to make things awkward for the bird and be at fault of demolishing this cherished relationship when they’ve been slowly building it together.

Gary flickers his lashes and snaps out of his thoughts to realise the French brunette is no longer sitting on the counter stool beside him. Looking down at the table, the dishes and mugs have been picked up and presumably washed by Chloe as his frantic blue eyes shift the clean sink. Soon enough, he catches sight of her slender but curvy figure exiting the kitchen. Afraid of losing the only opportunity to talk to her, the crane operator panics and quickly hops off his seat to steadily jog towards her.

“Wait, Chloe!” The muscular man heaves out his deep voice, hoping it’s enough to catch her attention.

The luxurious looking woman stops mid step and turns around to have a view of Gary pacing his footsteps as he approaches her. She patiently waits for him and when he arrives, it’s kind of strange to witness how his muscular shoulders stiffen along with his lips hesitating to vocalise what he wants to tell her when normally, Gary carries himself as an assertive and confident person.

“I was wondering if I could pull you for a quick chat,” he blurts out with expectant light eyes shining under the brightness of the sun. 

Cornering her scrunched upper lip, she can’t help but feel somewhat confused when they just had a casual chat. “We just had one, silly,” Chloe utters with a small smile.

“Erm… right.” His burly pale fingers scratch the golden beard now feeling a tad embarrassed at how he’s started the conversation and clears his throat to elaborate his reasoning for the talk, “It’s just that there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“Oh?” Chloe questions, relaxing a faint frown now curious as to what exactly he has in mind, especially when his voice isn’t the usual playful or cheeky tone she’s used to. With an agreeing nod, she looks up at him to now notice how his bare chest takes uneven short breaths, “Of course. Shall we go to the fire pit?” She amiably suggests.

It takes some seconds for the spiky-haired blond to also respond with a nod as his mind has been clouded by the swarm of nervousness eating up his insides. Gary’s not the type to become hesitant about many things, especially when it comes to women. Remembering how he manoeuvres himself at the pubs back in Chatham with his mates, if there’s ever a fittie that he fancies, confidence is what defines the muscular lad’s charms. But being here in Love Island, Gary has never felt apprehension really kick in until now with Chloe. 

Shortly after, he follows the petite brunette from behind as she gracefully moves across the deck and somehow manages to barely make any sound with her expensive-looking wedges. Finally, the pair arrives at the wide section of the fire pit and adjust themselves on the long seats. Coming over to the fire pit, it heightens a strange combination of uncertainty and excitement for the blue-eyed man knowing he’s about to reveal his liking for someone as captivating and elegant as this bird. He watches how delicately she adjusts her sitting position and draws a neon blue cushion to her stomach, slender beige fingers tracing the simple threading of the decorative pillow whilst waiting to hear from tongue-tied bloke.

Allowing a short silence to circulate between the two, Gary manages to shake off his paralysed thoughts and gulps the distasteful dryness from his mouth. He really shouldn’t feel this preoccupied but there’s something about anticipating Chloe’s rejection that it doesn’t sit well in his stomach. Perhaps it’s because he feels like he’s aiming too high and refuses to believe that such a posh woman could ever lay eyes on him. She really feels like a challenge when the Chathamite has only ever pursued girls he’d meet at the nightclubs. For a moment, he can’t help but think of what his first day at the Villa was like. Him and Dicky were proper buzzed to have been coupled up with two gorgeous girls and to be frank, Gary didn’t really think much about Love Island other than having a good time grafting on fit birds and partying every night. But, sitting here with the hazel-eyed beauty, there are no words to describe the tightness that sparks right up his throat— something he doesn’t recall experiencing with any of his previous romantic encounters.

Brave enough to speak now, Gary crooks a subconscious grin and glances down at his black slide sandals. “Sorry, I know I’m coming across a little odd. I don’t usually feel nervous but right now, I feel the same way I did the first time I went up a crane,” he admits with a light-hearted chortle and instantly hears his dark-haired friend soften giggle with him.

He throws a hand mid-air as a way to shoo away all of the doubt that’s invaded his head. “Argh, you’re right. I’m being silly,” the crane operator shifts his wide body to fully face the engrossed cellist and starts. “Alright so, remember when I told you I fancied another bird and you said I could tell you when I felt ready?”

Her curled lashes flutter at the random topic but makes sure to nod, remembering every detail of that night in the kitchen. “Yeah, of course,” Chloe affirms.

Coming closer to the tantalising revelation, this causes him to sharply suck in a bit of oxygen before speaking up. “I think I’m ready now,” the blond Islander firmly declares and immediately notices that he’s caught her undivided attention as she leans to listen carefully.

Something about finding out what other girl the blue-eyed man has been fancying causes a foreign numbness to clutch on her heart. Honestly, it’s not something she’s prepared to hear, especially if it’s coming from him. Nonetheless, this won’t stop her from being the friend Gary is looking for right now and if it’s advice what he’s looking for, she’ll generously provide him with that, even if it internally dims her spirit. Chloe feels grateful that the blond lad is fully trusting her to share his feelings and, only like this, it will push her stubborn persuasion of getting to know Lucas.

“Well, this bird I’ve been fancying has been a great mate,” Gary warmly smiles and looks directly into her comforting orbs. “But we started talking more and it feels like there may be a bit of chemistry between us. I reckon it’ll be worth getting to know her more but she’s tough to figure out,” he pauses for a moment, wanting to be careful with how he’ll approach his confession.

Without the official mention of the mystery girl, the glamorous musician heavies an unsure pout and feels puzzled as to what the younger Kent native is trying to convey, “What are you trying to say, hun?” Chloe intently questions.

A rush of adrenaline electrifies across Gary’s bulky frame, ready for her name to fall off of his lips. Then, a cheeky smirk brightens the intense blue hue of his eyes and steadies and an earnest gaze on the radiant London girl. “I fancy you, Chloe,” Gary states, confidently.

Unprepared to have witnessed such a lovely phrase rumble out of the blond’s masculine voice, the classy cellist eases her jaw and hangs open, left utterly gobsmacked and breathless when ingesting such a delightful revelation. Her honey-coloured irises gently tremble as a static sensation travels down her hands, never realising when her fingers have clutched onto the same pillow she’s been holding, and her small knuckles whiten at the tension of her grip. At no point in time did the musical performer believe Gary had been hinting that she was the bird he’s been eyeing. All those instances when he’d vocalise a flirtatious comment or lock his attractive deep-set eyes on her with that coy grin, Chloe would just dismiss those butterflies in her stomach and conclude that it’s him being his typical cheeky self; it’s overly hard to accept that this is really happening.

“Me...?” The luxurious girl dubiously asks, still thinking she must’ve misinterpreted what he’s said. Despite her remaining as calm as possible, it’s impossible to excuse the blush resting on her high cheekbones.

Without any hesitation, Gary assuredly nods with a hopeful smile so present, the glimmer reaches his dark pupils, never leaving sight of the poise the brunette exhibits. “I wish I could’ve said it sooner but I thought you and Dicky were, you know...” his voice becomes a tad shy, but never abandons the strength of his vocals.

Knowing the attraction is mutual, Chloe sweetly smiles and slightly leans towards him all whilst this blissful serenity blooms across her entire existence. But then, that same dimpled smile loosens into a doubtful frown, distantly listening to a stubborn voice yelping at the back of her head and tells her to not let him in so easily. In all fairness, the petite woman isn’t the kind to move so quickly and even though it surely wouldn’t be a problem for Gary, the concept of trying things out with someone like him makes her contemplate the new territory she’d step into.

Battling between the desire to openly reciprocate the same confession and obeying her head, she must acknowledge that the blond Chathamite isn’t her type on paper. This man’s personality exemplifies the lad behaviour, a trait she typically avoids in men. And, aside from his bold and promiscuous persona, his physicality isn’t remotely close to her preferences. Although there’s no denying how incredibly handsome he is, Gary simply isn’t the tall and dark type.

Now uncertain about how she truly feels, alarming emotions beautifully pierce right through her ribcage, and makes the elegant Islander puff out a frustrating sigh as she lowers her confused eyebrows.

“Gary, I’m truly flattered, and I must say that I’ve loved the time we’ve spent together, but...” the velvet sound of Chloe’s voice trails off into a whisper, growing hesitant at what she’s about to say when she doesn’t want to come across as if she’s denying him. Her fragile lungs collapse once more, and she views the muscular man slowly ease his grin into an expectant frown, like if he’s anticipating her answer.

Gary’s strong jaw clenches as he grits his teeth out of anxiousness, preparing himself to, once again, get rejected by another bird. It’s something he’s experienced before and although it’s something he’s gotten over quickly, remaining as friends with Chloe will just be a constant reminder of how foolish he is to have tried and pursued an utterly posh woman who’s clearly out of his league.

Femininely plush lips quiver as a result of her emotions and to make sure she conceals her heart’s desire, the musician tightens her mouth and lowers her gaze at the minimal space between the two.

“I’m not sure where my head’s at and it’s just...” Chloe shrinks her troubled facial muscles and hates that she’s not giving him a different answer, but it’s just how she feels at the moment. Her mouth shoots out a frustrated sigh. “There’s also Lucas, you know,” she concludes.

In this Villa, people take drastically quick decisions and truthfully, this is something that Chloe has been afraid of from the very moment she’s entered this place. Recalling the first Recoupling, she was certain of being dumped and going back home when her slow pace simply isn’t meant for such a demanding show. And she’s here thanks to Dicky’s rescue from that night’s elimination, which now leaves the hazel-eyed girl pondering if she’s willing to give someone like Gary the chance to break through these walls she’s surrounded herself in. At this point, Chloe can only ask for time and patience to determine if what she feels for the tattooed blond could transform into something more profound or if it’s just a childish summer crush.

After hearing her response, a glimpse of hope resurrects within Gary’s soul just when he thought the dark-haired classical cellist would flat-out clarify that she doesn’t fancy him, but, instead, it seems like she needs to figure out how she really feels about him. Whilst he’s willing to give Chloe the opportunity to think it over, it’s evident that the competition is still fierce and there’s the chance that she’ll become interested in someone else, like Lucas.

If he wants to remain in the show, Gary will have to think of a backup plan, especially when he’s tried working things out with Marisol and it’s clear that it’s not going so well between them. Right from an instance, the spiky-haired lad is fully aware of Lottie fancying him, as the makeup artist has thrown evident signs of interest. But, even knowing that the green-eyed Aussie is the easiest way to go about it, he’s absolutely set on keeping Chloe as his primary choice.

Looking back into her golden-hazel eyes, the brawny blond straightens his muscled back and stretches his pale legs over the wooden floor. “I reckon I can make up your mind, sweetheart,” Gary tauntingly replies, a cocky smirk creasing the outline of his rugged stubble. 

Not expecting the smooth line to flow so nicely from the blue-eyed man, Chloe tilts her head to fully observe his straightforward nature, now raising a curious eyebrow at how much of that is meant as banter. Even as the blond sits there with powerful determination to woo the French-English woman, this only heightens the exhilarating thrill of being chased. 

The glamorous Londoner tries to be discreet with her smile, but her playful eyes overpower her true feelings and grasps an appealing sight of the man widening that same smirk. “We’ll see about that,” she says, wittily.

**In the daybeds – Noon.** **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd-2IwSM8zI) ** ****

A small groan escapes Dicky’s lips as he slowly wakes up from his slumber. Briefly, he lifts his head from the fluffy pillow he has caged between his arms and takes a look at his surroundings, finding himself lying on his toned stomach, all alone in the daybeds area just like when he dozed off. It’s not unexpected to realise that he is usually a loner, sometimes even without intending to, but during the entire morning he’s actively avoided interacting with most Islanders unless it’s strictly necessary, in an attempt to clear his thoughts. In honest words, the characteristically determined and confident mechanic doesn’t know what to do next regarding his feelings.

He proceeds to bury his face in the pillow once again, another masculine grunt getting caught in his throat. Even though Jason is known for being able to fall asleep pretty much anywhere and especially after having a substantial meal, the warm and cosy weather of the Villa and his full stomach are not what caused him to retreat to the daybeds after lunch and decide to take a nap. Back home, the dark-haired man uses falling asleep almost as a defensive mechanism when he feels down; he has no problem exteriorising his discontent or anger, but when he genuinely feels sad and gloomy, he runs out of energy to hang out or do any activity and prefers to sleep it off so nobody bothers him.

Although confessing to Chloe not only that he is not able to see her in a romantic way but also that he’s been liking Minerva, and having his partner getting honest with him as well, was an absolute relief for him yesterday. After all his concerns about that situation died down, he was only left with a sensation of being adrift. Technically, he is free to graft Minni if he wants to but, the truth is, he finds himself feeling quite scared of being rejected right away. Now, he’s thinking that he was better off having the mental excuse of sticking to his current partner.

Much to his demise, Dicky has seen the physics student and Rocco getting closer and closer by the moment, to the point in which he doesn’t know if her head can be turned now— or at least not by him. Before realising that he was crushing on her, Jason was mostly dismissive, bordering on being actually mean and mocking her bubbliness and cheeky character whenever he had the chance. If this is the impression she has of him, the older Chathamite reckons there’s zero chances of Minni feeling nearly the same about him; plus, the fact that she probably still thinks him and Chloe have something going on isn’t favouring the situation. Right now, he can only feel unhappiness and pity for himself for practically having dug his own grave.

Without moving from his place in the daybed, Dicky gets a tighter hold on his pillow and murmurs a curse into it. Because of his character, and particularly because he’s a very grounded and pessimistic person, it doesn’t take the mechanic much time to admit that he is currently placed in a bad scenario, something that has made him feel like rubbish. Needless to say, it’s the first time he actually _cares_ about being noticed, liked and appreciated by a bird. Besides this, he has almost come to despise the fact that he is not nearly interested in any of the girls beside the blue-eyed student. This means that with him being true to himself and now that Chloe will probably want to couple up with Gary, Jason could leave the Villa soon without having the opportunity to spend more time with Minerva.

Minutes pass and the brunet man decides to stay where he is whilst he tries to push himself out of the dejected state he is in. He can’t even begin to decipher what he is exactly feeling, and in the midst of him trying to comprehend what having a crush has caused to change in his apathetic and uninterested personality, he feels a hand touching his upper back. Jason flinches slightly at the touch that came out of nowhere, but after a second he notices how small the hand seems to be in comparison to his back, its mildly cold temperature and soothing touch. Nevertheless, he grunts for it to go away.

“’m sleeping,” Dicky grumpily groans without opening his eyes, his deep voice muffled.

“No, you’re not,” a light, airy voice points out.

The man is a bit too quick to unstick his face from the pillow and look up to where Minni is standing. First, he sees a cheeky smirk on her glossy lips, then his sight moves to her freckled cheekbones and finally he meets her big and bright eyes— the outer corners of them are squinted joyously and their cobalt colour is twinkling, evidently showing that she is entertained by his reaction.

Minni has to contain a giggle when seeing Jason’s drowsy face. The mechanic looks quite confused by seeing her there, whereas he stares at her with just one of his eyes barely open and the other tightly closed. In addition to this, she can see several bedsheet marks on one side of his face and even a bit of drool framing the corner of his mouth; there’s no secret that he’s quite gross when he sleeps. Still, his good looks never cease to amaze her, as his eyebrows are furrowed in a rather attractive manner and his dishevelled dark hair sticks out in every direction, causing him to look impossibly handsome, nonetheless.

“That’s cos you just woke me up, sugar,” he replies with a raspy sleepy voice. After that, he rapidly wipes the drool that was left on his mouth, trying to look a bit more collected, “Why do you always interrupt my naps, huh?”

Despite his response not being completely welcoming, Minni chuckles light-heartedly. She knew that he wasn’t exactly sleeping when she approached him, since he wasn’t snoring or breathing deeply like he usually does when he’s dozed off, but decides not to mention that. 

“It’s not my fault that you take naps pretty much all day,” she banters and sits down on the mattress for a gentler approach. Soon, she notices that there’s something different about the mechanic today.

He seems to be more sluggish and lethargic than usual, when typically it doesn’t take him too long to recover from a nap and seem more alert. Not to mention that he’s definitely more irritable than yesterday, if that’s possible. The blue-eyed girl is intrigued by this, so she naturally thinks it’s best to ask, “Is everything okay?”

Still sensing her tender touch on his bare back and having her thigh brush against his arm while she gets comfortable on the daybed, Jason’s mind buzzes with her question, and not necessarily in a good way. Even though Minni’s attitude doesn’t pressure him in any way, he rapidly feels vulnerable whereas her waiting gaze stays on him.

All of the sudden, he realises that this could be a good moment for him to confess his crush on her. He’s always been a very direct bloke and that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so successful at quickly landing one-night stands and first dates during his bachelor time in Chatham. Despite this, he rapidly thinks that this situation is not similar to what he is used to, and concludes that he has no idea how to voice out his _feelings_. Now, Dicky doesn’t feel remotely ready to tell Minni that he likes her— he can’t bring himself to do it. Saying it now could end up being a hit or miss scenario and he can’t afford to make things awkward between them if she happens to not reciprocate, which is the most likely outcome. The brunet is used to take risks and not let things scare him off, but now he is genuinely afraid of making the freckled girl feel uncomfortable in his presence, knowing that he has taken a very unexpected liking to her and that she doesn’t feel the same.

“Y-Yeah,” the man stutters, blinking to clear his blurry vision. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Although he just seems to be tired, Minni still feels that there’s something going on inside that closed-off mind of his. Perhaps he’s having issues with Chloe that the physics student doesn’t know of, or maybe Lottie has been pushing his buttons again. Knowing how to get him to open up already, the Cantabrigian decides not to push the topic further.

“Alright,” Minni says, not moving from where she is.

Jason waits for a few seconds for her to go away or to say something else, but she doesn’t. The brunette girl just stays where she is sitting beside him and takes a peaceful look at the rest of the Villa in the meantime.

“What are you waiting for?” the mechanic asks, puzzled.

“I’m just making you company until you feel better,” she simply states, nonchalant. Even if her body language and wording make it sound like it’s not a big deal for her, Jason’s heart flutters for a moment. While still trying to grasp how sweet is her character and why it’s melting almost every hidden corner of his tough walls so easily, Dicky keeps staring at her with a muddled expression. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure that you need someone right now,” Minni continues, hoping to clarify as a response to his evident confusion.

Her caring sentences and how utterly beautiful and lovable she is bring in yet again warmth and a fuzzy feeling to the green-eyed man’s chest, which makes him feel even more frustrated because he simply _can’t have her_. Being captive in all of his emotional debate once more, he inevitably buries his face onto the pillow and lets out an irritated groan, something that is interpreted for Minni as him just being exasperated by having her being persistent and staying here. Despite this, she doesn’t go away because she already knows how Dicky behaves when he’s trying to open up and also because she’s determined on giving him at least a bit of company.

At first, he thinks of stubbornly insisting to her that he’s fine, but when he feels her small hand on his back again, he can’t help but clamp his mouth shut and wait for her next move. Much to his surprise, the blue-eyed girl starts rubbing soothing circles on his upper back as a way of comforting him.

In the beginning, Minni earns another grunt delivered against the pillow, but notices that the Chathamite doesn’t push her away nor moves, his face still being hidden with the pillow. Being a perceptive person, the physics student has learned that to put Jason’s walls, one doesn’t have to be overall pushy or insisting, but rather one has to wait for his initial and default rejecting answer to die down, the answer that makes most people to go away and give up on him, until he gives everything a second thought and his real answer comes to surface.

Just like she expected, his menacing rumble is slowly replaced by a timid hum at her petting. His breathing becomes calmer and his back muscles relax, and soon Minerva has this bad-humoured man in the palm of her hand without knowing it.

Getting lost in her caress, Dicky lets out a sigh. He’s never been touched so tenderly, less pet, while being in his unapproachable mood before, as most people tend to take distance. And, although he doesn’t feel comfortable admitting it, he likes physical affection more than any other type of affection, since this is one of the ways he can discreetly show how he feels without getting trapped in words or looking like an absolute melt.

A couple of heartbeats pass until he unsticks his face from the pillow to look at Minerva. The young woman is admiring the landscape beyond the infinity pool while absentmindedly rubbing his back. Because of the light breeze, Jason gets small grasps of what seems like her perfume, which smells like raspberries, something very fitting to her sweet and pink character. The raven-haired man takes his time to gaze at her, knowing perfectly that his almost unperceptively dumbfounded expression could betray him, but he instantly notices that she’s not thinking about looking back at him anytime soon. Yet again, he sinks further into disappointment once he realizes that all of this is not a big deal for Minni, that she would’ve done the same for any other Islander, when for him this means so much that his heart thumps fast inside his chest.

After the silence lasts for too long, the brunette girl turns around to face her companion. She sees Dicky staring at her with squinted and still sleepy eyes. He, as always, is very unreadable as of now, so Minerva decides to stop touching him so it doesn’t look like she’s flirting with her best friend’s partner— her intentions come purely from being a good friend to this grumpy yet strangely likeable lad.

“Feeling better?” the physics student asks, naïve.

Snapping out of his daze, the green-eyed man hums in response, the sound coming out of his throat appearing to be affirmative. His response causes Minni to smile warmly. She knows that she probably won’t get a word out of Jason just yet, but at least she got him to feel better, and she can see it by the way his features soften and his muscles turn less rigid.

Without saying anything, Dicky turns around to lie on his back and puts his arms behind his head, showing a definitely more approachable and less saddened body language. The muscles of his arms bulge slightly as he does so and his obliques stand out against his abdomen and snarling wolf tattoo.

“Alright, why did you come here in the first place?” he asks, interested.

The blue-eyed girl beams at his question, “I came to ask you if you wanted a smoothie. Rocco and I are making for everyone later and I thought you’d also want one.”

 _Rocco and her, of course_ , the brunet man thinks, discouraged. Despite the fact that this brings his mood down a bit more, the mechanic still marvels at Minni’s thoughtfulness and kind gestures towards everyone. Regardless, he can’t avoid his features to toughen and close off completely to her.

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though,” he answers. She waits for him to give it another thought, but just meets a sharp poker face. “I’m good, honestly,” the tall man insists.

“Fine,” the Cantabrigian sighs and puffs out her cheeks.

Minerva doesn’t know what caused Dicky to lose his approachable demeanour, but she’s guessing that this must be just his typical grouchy self preferring to be left alone. Before the freckled girl can even think whether it’s time to leave or to ask something else, she notices that the man in front of her looks like he is deep in thought. She makes a pause and remains silent, curiously staring at his slightly furrowed brows and eyes roaming over the fabric that shields the daybed from the sun. His irises acquire a brighter shade of green this way, small rays of sunlight making them look lighter.

“How’s that going? I mean, between you and Rocco?” he says after a while. Although he doesn’t sound too interested in the topic and his serious face remains the same, on the inside Dicky is trying to test the waters on where Minni’s head is at; perhaps with this information he could find the right timing to tell her how she feels, if he ever feels ready to do so.

The question surely catches her by surprise. “Oh, we’re— we’re good, actually,” she responds, her stuttering not sounding too convincing. Dicky raises an eyebrow at her hesitation, inquisitive. Minni doesn’t know how the raven-haired man is so evidently quick to notice that she’s not telling him the full truth. For a moment, the young woman thinks of attempting to further convince him that she is not omitting anything, but then she realises that she _wants to_ tell him what happened. She didn’t know that she needed to talk about it with someone. Feeling a bit shy about it, Minni takes off the sunglasses she had on top of her head and fidgets with them. “Although this morning he said something that kinda threw me off,” she confesses, not meeting Jason’s eyes. “It’s not a major red flag but… it’s also not of my liking, if I’m honest.”

Immediately, the mechanic sits straighter to pay full attention. His scowl deepens as soon as the protective side of his personality comes to surface. “What ‘thing’, Minni? If I may ask,” he says, concerned.

“Well…” she begins in a quiet voice. “This morning he asked where my head is at, which is fair because we promised to be honest with each other, but once I told him that I wanted to be friends with the new lads, he got weirdly jealous. I obviously stopped him right on his tracks and he regretted it afterwards, but…” the physics student sighs out of frustration. “I don’t rate jealousy, is all,” Minerva finishes, finally looking at Dicky.

The brunet man stays silent, his face unreadable and mysterious. “Is there anything else that’s bothering you?” he asks. Right now, Jason is not nearly seeing this as an opportunity to sabotage her potential relationship with Rocco, but rather wanting to know more so he can help her feel better and know if he should be worried for her.

“I… yes,” Minni murmurs, willing to be sincere with the mechanic. “The thing is, I’m keeping my options open. We have been here for less than a week, after all, so I want to get to know everyone first before I settle on someone. Rocco and I talked about that yesterday, and I even told him that he is free to get to know the other girls if he wants to, but he declined. He says that he just wants to be with _me_ , that he’s feeling a genuine connection that he doesn’t have with anyone in the Villa,” the girl sighs. “And I’m not quite feeling the same. I like him, but I don’t want to lead him on if I end up deciding that he’s not the one for me.”

When she finishes explaining, Dicky stays quiet. He almost completely ignores the fact that Minni said she’s open to get to know everyone, and focuses more on Rocco’s words towards her. The raven-haired man has noticed that Minerva’s partner seems to be a bit clingy, but never expected for him to want to get attached to someone so soon— he always thought the younger man was one of those lads who jump from one bird to another, particularly by his exceedingly free personality. And now, Minni’s overly empathetic nature is most certainly making her believe that she has the responsibility of not hurting him, when Rocco is the one who’s almost demanding her something she’s clearly not comfortable with.

“His feelings are not your responsibility, Minerva,” Jason states, determined. “It’s not your fault that he already wants to be exclusive with you and you’re simply not ready for that. You even gave him the option to crack on with someone else and if he declined and said that he wants to focus on you, it’s his choice,” he continues, looking at her in the eyes. “You were honest and told him you’re open to get to know other people, so you’re not leading him on.”

There’s a brief silence whilst Minni ponders his answer. More than being impressed by the fact that the mechanic seems to give wise advice despite never being in a relationship before, she is impressed by how much her thinking contrasts with his, even though she should’ve predicted it already. Dicky’s blunt and ungenerous opinion balances well with her constant need to prioritise other’s feelings instead of her own. Together, they _would_ make a good and equilibrated judge of character, after all.

“Lad got jealous because he wants to be exclusive and subconsciously expects you to do the same. It’s good he regretted it after you called him out, though,” the tall man keeps explaining. Feeling more at ease and confident, he grabs his baseball cap and puts it on, casually. “I’d say you shouldn’t feel pressured to put all of your eggs in his basket if you don’t want to. It’s your choice, after all. Most blokes in here would throw fists to couple up with you anyway, so you it’s not that you will run out of options,” he adds to wrap up his idea.

Having the need to lighten up the mood to such a serious topic, Minni’s eyes sparkle with mischievousness. “Did you sneak a compliment in there, Emsworth?” she cheekily asks, referring to his last sentence.

Jason simply rolls his eyes in exasperation, holding back a chuckle, “Don’t let it get over your head, tater-tot. I was just saying it how it is.”

His mean and honest reply makes the blue-eyed girl giggle briefly. After that, all she can do is think of his advice and realize that he might be right. “You’re making a lot of sense,” the freckled girl says, thoughtful. “I will still give him the chance to get to know me, you know, because I’m sure he didn’t mean it in a bad way, but also this was his last and only chance to get jealous. We will meet in the middle, I suppose,” she smirks, self-assured.

Proud to see her handling this in a way that should keep her safe if Rocco turns out to be a genuinely jealous lad, Dicky nods with a concealed smile. Suddenly, he realises that Minni must really like her current partner if she’s this preoccupied about their issues even though she has plenty of options to choose from and the freedom of getting to know anyone she pleases. He knows that she’s a cheeky and coquettish girl, and that she enjoys lads’ attention, so to see her willing to hold back her grafting to meet Rocco in the middle could be a big signal. Although she’s very flirty and carefree, the mechanic is sure that she will remain completely loyal to her curly-haired partner as long as they're in a couple. Soon, Dicky notices that perhaps he will be alright as long as Minerva is happy, even if she’s with someone else; right now he only wants her worries to fade in thin air.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Jason says, swallowing his disappointment by forming a line with his lips that’s meant to be a smile. “Between you two, I mean.”

“Thanks, Jason,” Minerva beams. She’s relieved of having let some of her preoccupations out in the open, since she’s used to store them inside until they go away, or at least until it _feels like_ they went away.

“Anytime,” Dicky responds with a firm voice. Following that, he adjusts his cap into a backwards position and tries to look anywhere but at Minni’s soft curves. His green-hazel eyes end up landing in the kitchen, to witness the rest of the Islanders slowly reuniting there.

The physics student proceeds to follow Jason’s gaze and, once she takes a quick look at the kitchen and sees a bunch of Islanders hanging out in there, she remembers why she came to the daybeds area in the first place. “Oops, I think we got carried away with our little chat,” she smiles kindly at the older Chathamite and puts her sunglasses on. “Gotta go now, those smoothies won’t make themselves!”

Pretending not to care too much, the brunet man nods and doesn’t say anything as he watches her standing up. It surprises him when she turns around to face him after having taken a pair of gracious and bouncy steps.

“What flavour?”

“Huh?”

“For your smoothie,” Minni clarifies with a kind smile.

Then, Dicky realises that he was a fool to think that she wouldn’t insist on that topic, something that pulls a smirk out of him. He tries to disguise his evidently pleased expression by rolling his eyes. “Minerva, I already said I don’t want—” he starts with a small chuckle, but gets instantly interrupted.

“Just to give you some ideas, Noah is having a grapefruit one with extra ice, Bobby a chocolate peanut butter one with whipped cream and sprinkles on top, Priya an orange and banana one with two spoonfuls of natural yoghurt and…” the blue-eyed girl trails off, trying to tempt him with all of the possibilities of smoothie combinations. Perhaps a sweet drink will help to finish lifting Jason’s gloomy mood, she thinks. 

Knowing how passionate the raven-haired man is about food, Minni proceeds to list pretty much every Islander’s request with detail. In the meantime, the tall mechanic gets amazed by her eidetic memory and chatty nature, but especially by how cute she looks while attempting to convince him of something that she knows he will enjoy. He gets lost in that thought until Minni gets to the end of her ramble, “… and Marisol wants one with strawberry, two dashes of vanilla, a quarter of glass of almond milk and half a spoon of sugar, if I remember correctly.”

As soon as she finishes, Dicky sees her drawing the most adorable smirk he’s ever seen. His facial muscles refuse to obey him and he finds himself mirroring her gesture, one corner of his lips tugging outwards unavoidably. Now is Minerva who feels something fluttering inside of her at the sight of the brunet man smiling at her in this way.

“Raspberry,” his deep and poised voice interrupts her trance.

It takes the physics student a second to assimilate his answer. The simplicity of his request catches her by surprise, “Nothing else?”

Jason thinks for a moment, his eyes briefly looking at the blue water of the infinity pool, and then back at Minni’s equally blue eyes, “With extra sugar.”

**At the beanbags – Noon.** [ **♬** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT6c7I5s8PY)

The small group of Islanders sit on their own brightly coloured bean bags by forming a circle and allow the sun’s blazing heat to cascade over them whilst finishing their customised smoothies. It’s been a chill day with the young cast chatting and bantering at random topics but mostly, it seems like they’re bombarding questions towards Lucas since he’s still one of the newest arrivals.

Ibrahim readjusts a more comfortable sitting position and crosses his ankles. “Mate, that’s mad! So, you _do_ practice rowing?” the golf player questions, in disbelief that Dicky guessed correctly about Lucas’ hobby when it was meant to be an insult.

The Asian man faintly scrunches his handsomely sculpted face, creating small wrinkles around his mouth and the outer corners of his dark eyes, and feels little embarrassed that he’ll definitely be labelled as a complete rich boy, but it’s a sport that he’s genuinely enjoyed. And, it probably wouldn’t be this embarrassing if it wasn’t for the mechanic’s rude comment.

“Indeed,” Lucas politely answers whilst his fingers lightly drumming against his personalised water bottle but manages to stretch an easy-going smile as it’s still a topic he loves to enlighten others with. “Water-sports are quite my pastime, really. I’ve done my fair share of competitive rowing against teams of other rowers, too,” the tanned man factually states, completely absorbed in a favourite subject of his.

After listening to the Oxfordite’s enthusiasm for his hobby, Priya widens a fascinated smile and looks directly at him. “You know, I’ve never met someone who’s as posh as you,” she says.

Oblivious to how her comment causes the rest of the boys to air out unharmonized laughs, this makes Lucas press his lips into a thin line and set his eyes to the trimmed grass as his way to avoid any more attention. Even if it’s been a day since the others have met the physiotherapist, he’s made it clear that he doesn’t like to be seen as expensive or sophisticated, but the stunning estate agent hasn’t stopped throwing similar comments.

Chloe, on the other hand, instantly takes notice of Lucas’ discomfort by reading his body language and lingers a concerned hazel gaze. In a way, she can relate with the struggle when dressed a certain way or carrying a particular speech pattern that’s different from the rest of the lot. She lightly bites her bottom lip and thinks of a way to ease the chat.

Just then, she straightens her posture towards the raven-haired man. “Well I must say that I find rowing rather impressive,” Chloe utters with her friendly tone as always and can feel everyone’s eyes now on her.

With that simple compliment, she earns a delighted beam from the muscular olive-skinned man. Feeling more encouraged to chat about the hobby, Lucas narrows his dark eyes into a flirtatious gaze and intakes the breath-taking image of the Londoner’s endless beauty displayed right before him.

“It can be rather romantic when you find the right lake, the right river,” he mentions, an inviting smirk forming on his full lips at the next thought, “And most importantly, the right woman.”

Seeing how the physiotherapist is openly complimenting her and up for a bit of graft, Chloe finds the opportunity to return a small grin and sneaks the same engaged gape. “The scenery would be a lovely one,” the musician agrees, keeping her tone of voice discreet.

“I’m sure if you were there, you’d be a splendid sight,” Lucas murmurs with confidence curling at the corners of his mouth.

It doesn’t take long for Gary to notice the same chemistry building up between the two posh Islanders and let alone to see the theatrical musician hiding a pleased smile but relishing the intriguing turn of the conversation. Although the crane operator carries no jealous attributes to his character, there’s still that persistent flare of showing the brunet man who has the upper hand when it comes to flirting, especially if they’re fancying the same bird. With this in thought, the younger blond angles his head to get a better view of the hazel-eyed woman and makes sure to persist his dominant gaze on her hourglass figure until he lands his pupils and stations on her impeccable face.

“I reckon Chloe’s best view is when she’s playing the cello,” the spiky-haired blond coolly adds, a determined smirk lifting his bearded cheeks, “It would be a well nice treat, I’d say.”

The boldness from Gary’s compliment is pleasantly inhaled and takes time to thoroughly digest his words as she simply wasn’t expecting it. Still remaining with her composure and calm nature, there’s absolutely no way to disguise the flattered glimmer dancing around her amber eyes and the blond knows that’s left her slightly dazed since it’s surely his first time openly grafting on her— something the two are already getting used to.

Even though the trait is selective for certain men she fancies, flirting isn’t a problem for the elegant brunette. But, coming to the Villa and being coupled up with Dicky, she hasn’t given herself the chance to really unleash her coquettish side until now. It’s somewhat strange to know there’s a couple of men showing interest when some days ago, Chloe felt like she had no reason to stay here. So, ever since the new arrivals, she can’t help but feel a bit stunned to how Lucas approaches her and, knowing how her blond friend feels about her now, there’s no method to hide her bashfulness when Gary is sitting adjacent from her and locks his mesmerising sky-blue stare whenever she talks.

Coming back to her senses and the surroundings of the lot, Chloe intertwines her fingers as a mere distraction to ease off the attention she’s unintentionally grasped, and exhales a brief hum of her vocals. “Playing the cello isn’t quite the sport but I do a little fencing myself, actually,” the cellist answers, factually.

“Fencing? Mate, I’ve built those for my nan’s lawn,” the Chathamite states with excitement jolting between his eyes but considering the weird pairing of words coming from the dark-haired girl, he’s not really understanding why she just called it a sport. Gary raises a thick eyebrow, remaining equally puzzled and attracted to hear more about her interest in construction. Undoubtedly, it’s a side he’s never known about, “Didn’t think you’d be into that.”

A small pout forms Chloe's lavish mouth to hear the brawny blond’s response and this only leaves her perplexed, realising that they’re not talking about the same thing. Next, her perfectly trimmed eyebrows lift and gentles out an amused giggle when she figures out what he’s trying to relate to.

“ _Nooo_ , not building fences.” Her graceful hand covers her open smile and eventually recovers from her laughter. “Fencing, hun. Like, the combat sport,” the Londoner clarifies.

Feeling a bit ignorant, Gary sinks in his beanbag and winces at himself for not catching onto the topic, “Oh...” He deflates his deep voice and listens to the rest of the Islanders take a turn chuckling light-heartedly at his uneducated comment. Because of this, he can’t help but grumble out his annoyance whilst crossing his muscled arms, sulkily. 

“I didn’t think you would be into sports, Chloe,” Ibrahim speaks up as he pushes himself a little forward and is now sitting at the edge of the beanbag. 

Highly anticipating her answer, the professional golfer wonders how she could be into fencing— an activity he’s been told is physically demanding, but she religiously refuses to never touch anything in the gym when he and Gary invite her over for a set of crutches. Nonetheless, Chloe has always been a woman Rahim found very attractive and hearing that she’s actively in fencing, this easily makes her more appealing than before.

“I wouldn’t say I’m the sports type but fencing helps release some steam if I’m ever a little angry,” the hazel-eyed girl cleverly winks over at the impressively toned athlete and swiftly ignites him to snicker out the banter. Not being able to bottle up her joyous energy for something she absolutely adores, Chloe pushes her upper body and sits up with remarkable grace. “In fact, France has officially made lightsaber fencing a real and competitive sport,” she breathes out her knowledge.

Priya blinks out the peculiar statement coming from her closest friend and gasps in a giggle. “What? That can’t be real,” the dark red-haired woman intently questions.

At the mention of lightsabers, Gary’s attention instantly spikes and stretches a captivated beam, deciding to integrate himself into the chat now. Hearing their conversation about fencing, it’s a tad irking to know he isn’t able to apply any of his thoughts and just awkwardly sit there in silence. But now, with the appealing sound of actual lightsaber combat, he has so many questions for the elegant brunette. 

“Mate, you’re bantering!” The crane operator exclaims and turns over to his Scottish friend as he starts to playfully nudge on his slender limb. “I bet Bobbs over here wouldn’t last a duel with Darth Jar Jar Binks,” he jokingly says. 

It doesn’t take long for the freckled man to shift his head over to the instrumentalist’s direction. Her shoulders slightly shake as she consumes her quiet laughter and intakes the daft humour towards the ridiculous sci-fi character. Out of the entire group, it’s only Gary and Chloe expressing their shared hilarity as their chortles harmonise into calmed chuckles. Finding it a bit contagious, the baker twitches his lips and upturns them to snort out his own laugh. 

“I’ll do it if I get to wear those sick capes,” Bobby replies with a grin. 

Before anyone can correct the cape comment and address them as Jedi and Sith robes, the group hears a scoffed chuckle from one end and it’s Lucas shaking his head, “Lightsaber fencing sounds a tad imaginative, doesn’t it?” 

The disappointing sound of the Asian man’s voice rings in Chloe’s ears and there’s no method to erase the self-consciousness that’s looming over her head since she’s the one that brought up the topic. To ease off the awkward ambiance, she stretches out a plastered smile after forcing out a sheepish laugh and blinks her sunny-coloured eyes elsewhere, careful to avoid Lucas’ eyes. 

“Yeah, I suppose it’s not for everyone,” the luxurious-looking woman casually utters and lowers her sight to her toned leg as she begins to trace an extremely faint scar she remembers getting as a child, showing no signs of feeling bothered by the physiotherapist’s response. 

Just when she was feeling comfortable enough to share with her friends that she participates in lightsaber duelling in France, hearing the judgemental opinion shrinks the confidence to show the other side of Chloe. This simply brings sharp memories of her life in which she couldn’t really be herself within her social group, and to this day, she continues to deal with the same issue. All she can do is bite her tongue, gulp her quirkiness, and keep up with her standard posh image. And, perhaps it’s because she’s grown so accustomed to hearing Lucas’ reaction in other people in her life, but the elegant cellist can’t blame him for thinking it’s too much fantasy and childlike— they all seem to have the same opinion, so she must be in the wrong. 

Snapping the hazel-eyed beauty back to the circle of Islanders, Chloe hears the muscular blond’s voice thunder between the short silence and easily grabs her attention.

“Alright, alright, so here’s another question...” Gary suggests and angles his guarded sight over to the Oxfordite, who on the other hand, nonchalantly sits there and waits for the younger lad to expose his question.

With a handful of seconds, this is all it takes for the inked blond to curl a sly smirk and finds the perfect question, “What’s your usual type?” He ultimately asks, a tone to his deep vocals turning mildly competitive.

Taking this into consideration, Gary’s sure that it will help determine a couple of things. Firstly, it will show the golden-eyed girl that Lucas is looking for a different type of bird and with this, he’s certain that it will give her a better reason to consider him as an option. Despite how physically compatible the older Islanders seem to be, the Kent native is sure that it’ll prove how out of range Chloe’s eccentric personality is to whatever the physiotherapist is looking for. And secondly, it’s a great way to get to know the bloke and understand how strong the competition is getting. There’s absolutely no way Gary can see himself befriending Lucas— especially after the little fiasco Dicky got himself in, but it’s best to get to know the newer lads and keep them cautiously close. 

Lucas huffs out a low hiss to notice the subtle hostility looming over Gary’s body language but tries not to think much about it since the younger man has still been far more welcoming compared to the irritable mechanic, “Straight to the point with you, eh?” He jeers.

Gary leans back on his bean bag and carelessly shrugs his broad shoulders with the same expressive smirk remaining dominant on his mouth. “What can I say? I like to be direct,” the blue-eyed Islander calmly responds.

“Recently, I’ve dated blondes, although I don’t have a precise type when it’s physical. I’m used to a girl who has a more decent taste; who knows what they want in life and how to get it. Someone who knows how to dress-to-impress,” Lucas states, confident to how truthful he’s answering and attempts to not land his gaze aside where the glamorous musician sits and is diligently listening.

A familiar squeal chirps out of Priya and cracks a cheery grin, “Someone like Chloe?” she teases and gently pokes Chloe’s arm, leading a pleased smile to grace the brunette’s face.

Trying to battle the urge of feeling defeated, Gary is defied, once again, with that same bloody vulnerability crippling in his sensible stomach. He hates to admit that it’s come to taunt him again and even though a massive weight has been lifted off his shoulders after confessing directly to the London beauty and his best mate, hearing Priya’s genuine support towards the older poshes initiates that decay he’s thought of putting to rest.

Next to Minni, Priya is the next closest friend in the Villa for Chloe and seeing how convinced the stylish estate agent is of Lucas being the perfect match for the classy dark-haired woman, Gary starts to wonder if he even knows her all that well. Perhaps Priya is right; they already look like they’d be a powerful couple.

Retracting the tanned lad’s description of his ideal woman, the crane operator’s face falls as reality hits him hard and he starts to convince himself that it sounds exactly like the stunning cellist. If Chloe decides to go for Lucas instead, then this means that he’ll have to favour the option of getting to know Lottie: the only other girl that definitely fancies him. Despite her not being his first choice, Gary admits to finding the Aussie blonde a fit bird and is willing to give her an equal chance. And, though the kiss they shared a few days was never meant to be intentional, the bulky man at least has that advantage to establish a possible connection with her. 

Then, Bobby slouches his back and pulls his knees to his bare chest, feeding off the encouragement from the others to interview the handsome brunet, “Oh, oh! I’ve a good one. What’re your numbers, lad?” the Glaswegian asks mischievously.

Chloe sucks in an appalled gasp and squints her bright eyes out of displeasure for the blunt comment, “Bobby...!”

“ _Whaaat_? I’m curious,” he rebuts after gravitating a pout.

A sultry hum rumbles out of Priya, finding the chat more interesting, “Ooh, spicy! Sounds like a fun question,” she says as she motivates the revelation.

It’s pretty obvious that the majority of the lot are now expecting to hear how many sexual partners he’s had and despite not feeling any sort of burden for sharing these details, it’s still something Lucas finds unnecessary. Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop him from tightening his lips into a thin line and lowering his dark eyes to his blue swim trunks. “Well, I hate to kiss and tell, and it seems a tad vulgar...” he states, reluctantly.

“If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, you don’t have to, Lucas,” Chloe gifts him a friendly smile as she suggests with a velvet voice softening between favourable words.

With a displeased scowl already cornering the side of his mouth, Gary’s thick eyebrows wrinkle as they scrunch together, “What? Where’s the fun in that? Come on, mate. Tell us!” He thunders the command whilst heavily gulping a bothersome feeling he refuses to think that it’s because Chloe might be preferring the rich boy over him.

Lucas’ sigh pushes out of his tense lips and glances at the crane operator. Now that he’s interacted with Gary and Jason, he can’t help but wonder if all blokes from Chatham are this assertive. “Very well...” He takes a short pause before exposing this to not just the huddle of people here, but to everyone watching the show. “My magic number is seven.”

By an instant, Lucas takes notice of the mixed reactions from everyone and isn’t sure whether to take it as a good or bad sign. Because of this, he finds the need to defend himself and glowers his facial muscles with the thought of someone like Gary who surely doesn’t think twice to release any urges; precisely when thinking about the sleazy kiss the tattooed blond had with Lottie in the bathroom. 

“I’m not the sort of guy who beds everything that walks,” the physiotherapist harshly adds.

Her reaction not quite readable, Chloe tilts her head as she steadies a whimsical gaze at Lucas. There’s no particular number in which the classical cellist was expecting to hear from him but, after learning the number of partners he’s had, it really adds more to relate. Although she’ll never share such intimate information so openly with others, it’s a relief to know that she, too, carries similar sexual encounters when so many people in her age group widely cross the double digits. 

Just then, the abrupt sound of a chime paralyses the circle of Islanders knowing that it’s someone’s phone and they’re quick to figure out it’s coming from Gary’s direction. Next, the spiky-haired lad shifts his wide frame to reach into his front pocket and sits up straight to confirm that he’s received a message.

“I’ve got a text!” The bearded man generously shouts out his deep voice across the Villa and swiftly adjusts his sitting position to get a better view of his phone screen.

<Islanders— it’s time to find out who’s been naughty, and who can keep their mouth shut in today’s challenge: ‘Kiss and Tell’! #getlippy #mouthingoff>

After announcing today’s challenge, the brawny blond lifts his head and scans through everyone’s astounded reactions followed by a few amused chuckles.

Creating a wicked grin under the golden stubble, Gary locks his intense ocean eyes with Chloe’s honey-hazel irises and naturally squints a charming wink. Seeing her respond with a coy smile, this pushes him to widen the same smirk and never ceases from breaking the lovely eye contact with her, “Quite the cheeky challenge, isn’t it?”

**In the dressing room – Evening.** **[♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHCE5h0UGCI) ** ****

With trembling hands, Minni opens the dressing room’s door and enters in a rush. Being on her nerves already but trying to keep her chill composure at the same time, the young woman is quick to change from her pastel pink swimming suit into a glittery night outfit. Her wavy brown hair falls messily over her face as she battles with the straps of her high platform shoes, her movements turning clumsy whereas she attempts to put out the burning embarrassment she feels inside and, most importantly, to turn down her boiling anger.

She knew from the get-go that the Kiss and Tell challenge was going to bring some type of drama, but she never expected to be the centre of it— or at least part of the centre. At first and much to her delight, she received a couple of kisses and even had a good laugh when she saw the boys staring in shock when none of them guessed that she is the girl with the highest body count in the Villa. Everything was going quite well and, although Minni enjoys snogging people without commitments and just for fun, she kept the kisses short and with the right amount of spice as to not be disrespectful to Rocco, her current partner. The challenge’s atmosphere suddenly turned upside down when Marisol and Rocco kept choosing one another to snog, their kisses being full-on and evidently passionate; evidently _on purpose_.

Not being able to process it properly, Minni finishes putting on her shoes and stands up in front of the mirror. Her fingertips anxiously dab on her glittery pink eyeshadow. Then, she haphazardly puts it all over her eyelids, convincing herself that dressing up and searching for fun with the other Islanders whilst she ignores how she is feeling will make her forget about it all. The truth is, she has no idea how she is feeling, because she can’t comprehend what happened between Rocco and Marisol; the physics student doesn’t know why they started acting like that all of the sudden, less if she feels betrayed, unhappy, livid or distressed, or if she even should feel that way giving the fact that she’s known her partner for less than a week.

Now, the blue-eyed girl is caught in her cycle of bottling up her negative feelings and using partying and distractions as a way to not to exteriorise her emotions. This always leads her to deal with things in an unhealthy way, but for some reason this has always worked well and it seems like an easy escape. However, she knows that if someone ever asks her if she’s okay when she’s in this state of transition from nervousness to bubbliness, Minni is bound to burst into tears or to explode in rage, so she tries her best to get ready as fast as possible as not to encounter any other Islanders until she feels like herself again.

Her plan is cut short once she can hear heels clicking up the stairs, which appear to be more than one pair. It doesn’t take much time before the door opens and Chloe appears in the doorway, followed by Priya and Hope. 

“Minni! I was so worried about you after everything that’s happened,” the dark-skinned girl spreads her arms and feels compelled to comfort the freckled brunette.

Remaining polite and appreciative for the comfort, Minerva allows Hope to lightly squeeze her small frame during the embrace, but it’s brief after she gently pulls away. The want of sustaining her own space increases, especially since she felt safe all alone with her own thoughts. At this time, it’s too early for her to openly talk about it with others and she strongly wishes there was a way to escape and continue having her alone time.

“It was so weird, everything that happened…” Minni mumbles, still her sensitive stare avoiding any of the girls’ gape. 

With utter concern radiating between Priya and Chloe, they exchange a quick glance before landing their attention back on Minerva. Recalling earlier at the challenge, the classical cellist wasn’t prepared to witness Rocco and Marisol sharing such intimate snogs in front of everyone, especially when her freckled friend was there helpless and gobsmacked but, even like that, she tried to keep her cool. Despite not taking a complete liking towards the auburn-haired man, seeing how happy Minni has been ever since coupled up with him has been enough for Chloe to search for the bare minimum of tolerance towards him.

Hope settles herself in front of the communal vanity and starts going through her makeup bag so she can get ready for tonight. Then, her big brown eyes shift to catch the sight of some of the girls taking part of the reflection from the mirror as she starts to wonder if now is a good time to bring up something that’s been bothering her today. Allowing the small gap of silence to give her some time to think, the dark-skinned girl lightly bites her bottom lip and deeply inhales her final decision.

“It’s so weird to me that we can all be having fun, and not notice what’s going on right under our noses,” she finally says, remaining sceptical of opening the can of worms.

The topic sparks Minni’s interest, making her squint the outer corners of her glittery eyes. “What do you mean?” She breathes out her question, confusion stringing on her tongue.

A gulp clears Hope’s throat and finishes applying mascara before setting all her attention on the curious young woman. “Well…” she starts, her pupils landing on the estate agent for a moment. It doesn’t take much for them to come to a nonverbal agreement to bring it up, “Priya and I were talking…”

Priya lowers her eyebrows, cautious to initiate the chat as graciously as possible. “I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but…” she trails off her words, easing into the topic about Rocco.

Before either Hope or Priya can continue the chat, a loud pair of dramatic heels thud loudly against the floor until a blonde make-up artist barges in the dressing room with a soured scowl tightening across her pale face. She stands tall and completely dignified. “I can’t believe what’s happened today,” Lottie’s lime-green eyes harden and continues to rant across the room for all the girls to hear. “You think you get to know someone, and then they can do something that just flips it all on its head,” she finishes her statement and stiffly folds her arms.

“You mean Rocco?” Minni asks with naïve cobalt eyes that matches her sweet voice.

Lottie, on the other hand, scoffs a bitter chuckle and shakes her head. She truly can’t believe that the Cambridge student is still questioning if they’re talking about her current partner. “Who else? Rocco kissing Marisol like that today was just…” A repulsive shiver zaps up her spine to recall how wrong the challenge went.

After hearing the heavily inked woman roar out her rage, Chloe’s golden-hazel irises shine under the room’s lighting when she meets her compassionate gaze with Minni’s. It surprises her that the young woman is not evidently mad, distressed, nor showing any signs of sadness; just pure confusion.

Retracing even the slightest interaction between Marisol and Rocco in the challenge, everything that the girls are saying is now starting to make sense for Chloe. It truly baffles the Londoner to notice how Minerva can effortlessly solve large math equations without the need to write them down but can’t connect the dots on Rocco’s behaviour and figure out that she has been evidently played. Perhaps it’s because she trusts people too much to be aware of it and this in thought ignites this enraged flame in Chloe’s head, to think that people like the curly-haired man can easily take advantage of someone as kind and selfless as her younger friend. Cutting her ponders short, the elegant musician just now realises how tense her jaw was clenched, already detesting what the food-truck caterer has done but wanting to remain her composure as always, her honey hued eyes angle over to Noah’s partner as she closely listens. 

“I’m thinking that this thing with Rocco and Marisol is bigger than just today,” Hope adds as she nods, more confident in her words now that Lottie, unaware of doing so, has walked right into the chat.

Despite Hope’s effort to become more elaborate with her statement, she relaxes a frown over her mouth to notice that Minerva still remains puzzled. She, then, angles her head over to Priya, silently asking for some help. Prompt enough, the Manchester woman discreetly nods in agreement and slightly twists her torso to provide the freckled girl some attention whilst attempting to get ready for tonight.

“It was weird when him and Marisol kissed twice in the challenge today, right?” Priya asks, tentatively.

Slowly digesting what the glamorous estate agent has just said, Minni slumps her shoulders and widens her pout, wondering where this conversation is getting at. “It’s like it came out of nowhere,” she simply replies.

“That’s just what we said!” Priya exclaims, factually. At this point, she’s almost done styling her thick dark red locks and sets aside her variation of body sprays to exchange all the attention for the Cambridge student as she gets up from her seat. “It was like they both knew what to do without even thinking,” she finishes as her lips gently quiver in anticipation to Minerva’s reaction, hoping that she’ll catch on but, seemingly, the young woman remains with the same puzzled facial expression.

“So, we wanted to know,” Hope cuts in to help with the explanation and scans across the line of gorgeous women with her chestnut brown irises, “When did those two get so close?” She curiously blinks out the question.

“And then we both said the same thing at the same time,” Priya adds as she leans her back against the cold wall as she distracts her fingers with one of her gold bracelets.

Still with crossed arms, Lottie arches a sharp eyebrow and narrows her suspicious eyes, “What did you say?” She asks.

“Well…” Hope heavily sighs, releasing a tiny bit of tension that’s started to knot on her shoulders. This really isn’t how she expected for tonight to go but she feels like it’s necessary to bring this up now and clear things up. The retail ambassador may not bark out the morals of Girl Code like Lottie but after having this talk with Priya, she feels the need to huddle her girls and expose this notorious man.

Seemingly, everyone has spoken about this except for Chloe, who has remained distinctively quiet and absorbing everyone’s input while focusing on drawing her perfectly shaped winged eyeliner. Trying to align everything that’s been said about Rocco, along with what he’s also done with Marisol during the challenge, the cellist lowers her tentative stare down to her slender fingers that fiddle with the same tube of the expensive eyeliner. There’s something that’s starting to stick in her head and, even though she doesn’t want to think it’s true, the older brunette compresses her pursed lips into an incredulous pout.

“Did you ever see Rocco trying it on with the other girls in here?” Chloe finally speaks up as she instantly grasps everyone’s attention, directing her question to the blue-eyed girl.

For a moment, Minni forgets to release her stored breath, not liking the Londoner’s direct question one bit but, knowing Chloe’s intentions, she’s simply trying to figure this whole thing out for her. “I… I don’t know,” she gently stutters, her voice now scattering in fragility to the thought of her partner betraying and humiliating her. She’s been nothing but loyal and given him the reassurance he consistently keeps asking for. “Y-you girls would have told me,” the freckled young woman utters.

“If we all knew about it, sure,” Hope assuredly nods.

With a ruffled wince hugging her tan features, Priya parts her lips after remembering Rocco’s strange behaviour when Lucas and Henrik arrived at the Villa. After Gary and some of the boys decided to give the new arrivals a grand tour of the luxurious place, she remembers sunbathing at the lounge chairs and suddenly receive the company of Minni’s partner on her side. It’s been known that the young man is a flirt and whereas she didn’t pay much attention to the gesture, there was something off putting at how much Rocco emphasised on getting to know her.

“I didn’t think much about it until today, but he came to talk to me as soon as the new boys arrived. He just talked about how he wanted to recouple and stuff,” Priya declares and looks down at the distressed astrophysics student.

“Recouple?!” Lottie snaps and darts her critical green eyes over at Priya, nerved to hear that sounds awfully similar. She loosens a few mumbled words to herself and hisses through her teeth, in complete disbelief. But once she gives it a second thought, it shouldn’t be too surprising to know that Priya would keep something this vital to herself until now, she flips her colourful pink hair over her shoulder and props her hands on her hips, “He told you he wanted to recouple, and you didn’t tell Minni?” Her voice takes a higher pitch at the end, like she’s demanding for an answer.

Hearing how tampering Lottie is being, it’s hard for Priya to not roll her eyes and huff an irked breath when there’s a larger issue with Rocco. She can almost sense the make-up artist about to bark out how disloyal she is to the girls; that is, until the olive-skinned woman promptly defends herself. “It’s not like he was really trying it on. More like, if things went that way and we were both single. But now I think that’s because I said I was happy with Ibrahim for now,” she explains.

“He said the same thing to me when he thought nobody was looking,” Hope firmly declares.

Probably one of the rare times when she wasn’t around Noah, it must’ve been the perfect opportunity for Rocco to have taken advantage of and talk to her. Cornering her vibrant pink lips, Hope starts to regain memory of how shamelessly he’d ask about being an option for her in the next Recoupling.

“I said I wasn’t interested, but I bet he would have pushed it further if he thought there was a chance between us,” she finishes and lands her brown eyes on Minni, who, at this rate, is still trying to keep her cool as she’s thoroughly listening to everyone’s perspective.

It’s all starting to make much more sense for Chloe. If Rocco’s true intentions are to remain in the Villa and all of the girls are coinciding with what they’ve shared, this means that he never carried a genuine affection for Minerva. And, settling the thought of Marisol being easily influenced by his technique, it doesn’t come as a shock if she fell for it. During numerous chats, the dark blonde has expressly declared that she’s not feeling it with Gary, and this surely made her feel like she’s in the weakest couple in Villa. With this in mind, knowing she isn’t happy with the blond man like Hope and Priya are with their respective partners, it’s no wonder she didn’t reject his advances. But still, marinating the thought of Rocco having the audacity to persistently ask for reassurance from Minni and then go behind her back to graft on the rest of the girls, makes the classy cellist swallow the odious combination of rage and despair that’s building up in her throat.

“He must have started chatting up all of the girls after Lucas and Henrik have come in,” Chloe sharply mutters as she shakes her head. Her voice is meant to be kept to herself, but promptly everyone hears her realisation of this situation.

Not aware that what she’s openly said might be causing her younger friend to feel worse about all of this, Chloe hovers her pitiful honey shaded eyes over at Minerva and observes how she uses her loose brown hair to cover her face, making it hard for her friend to see how she truly feels.

Feeling obliged to doing so, the posh London girl strains a smile. “If it’s any relief, Rocco didn’t try anything with me,” she gently affirms, but seeing that Minni remains the same and with no reaction to what she’s said, Chloe allows her smile to fall into a knowing frown.

It’s a small and ineffective attempt to disintegrate a bit of the tension but, deep down, the classical cellist wasn’t expecting much of a positive reaction from the freckled woman. And, even if Chloe wants to think that Rocco didn’t want to graft on her, it’s most likely because she was apathetic to his flirtatious gestures; it didn’t help that Dicky’s incoming presence always scared the lad away.

Still motionlessly standing where she was when the girls came into the dressing room and unsteadily clutching her glittery makeup palette between her fingers, Minerva turns to look at herself in the mirror and internally alarms as soon as she realises that, even if she’s trying hard to not give away how forsaken she feels, her facial muscles show evident signs of sadness. For a few seconds, the blue-eyed girl feels the prey of her subconscious panic of having people see her in this state, not even being able to process the information that has just been given to her.

It takes the physics student a moment to collect herself and rapidly store her negative emotions inside tightly closed boxes and quickly shove them towards the back of her mind. Yet, she can’t wrap her head around what she’s just found out— Rocco was playing her right under her nose, under every of the girls’ and other boys’ noses.

At first, it’s not heartbreak what Minni experiences; the truth is, she didn’t like him _that much_ to feel broken-hearted. What she feels is deep embarrassment and disappointment running fast through her veins and eating her inside out. Just this morning, Rocco was almost begging her for reassurance and telling her that she is the only one for him. With the freckled girl’s personality making her always see the best in people, she believed it all without questioning if he had underlying intentions. She feels like an absolute idiot for considering him an honest lad and for thinking blindly that he was never going to lie to her just because Minni was completely truthful to him. Right now, inside of the blue-eyed girl’s mind, there’s mainly rage building up at a rapid pace being fuelled by how ashamed she feels, something that is alarming giving her compulsive bottling up pattern.

Once more, Minni’s uneasy cobalt orbs move to look at herself in the mirror— it only makes everything worse. Tightly clenching her jaw, she can observe her own sizzling anger present all over her freckled face, and suddenly doesn’t know how to hide it again meanwhile she’s also dealing with such an overwhelming turmoil of emotions that she can often effortlessly push away. Slowly, her naïve demeanour and gentle attitude begin to fade away.

On the other side of the dressing room, Lottie tightens her dark purple lips into a resentful frown and shrugs a shoulder. “I kinda saw it coming, to be honest,” the makeup artist presses, unknowing of the Cantabrigian holding back a grimace to her words. 

“Thanks for telling me,” Minni responds, a mocking pitch of vocals stinging her throat, her eyes icy as she glares at Lottie through the mirror.

Her unexpected attitude paralyses the blonde for a second, but then she just clicks her tongue and roughly exhales a sigh when thinking she’s trying to be a supportive mate and Minerva is apparently taking it the wrong way. “Babes, it’s not like I was sure about it,” Lottie pauses for a moment to settle the explanation in her head and continues. “The thing is, the first couple of chats I had with Rocco, I realised he wasn’t someone who liked being tied down. And then when he came to chat to me after you two had coupled up—”

“I beg your pardon,” Chloe’s elegant yet determined voice interrupts the Australian and lifts a wary eyebrow at her. Something about what she’s just said sounds oddly familiar, and she remembers how Lottie scolded Priya about this a few minutes ago. A polite but rather sarcastic smile slightly outlines the musician’s cheekbones. “You, too? And you didn’t tell Minni either?” She taunts out the same question Lottie had asked and loosely crosses her poised arms under her chest.

A tint of red runs across Lottie’s pale face, flustered in embarrassment, but rapidly she manages to shrug off her indifference towards Chloe’s interjection. After that, she makes a dismissive gesture with her hand and decides to ignore the point that the cellist is trying to make. “It was nothing really. Just him asking who I was going to couple up with. Us girls have all had our heads turned a bit, recently. So, it’s not surprising we’d miss something if we were looking the other way,” the blonde woman explains.

In an attempt to calm down but with her irritation and temper slowly swallowing the best of her, Minni turns her sight towards her glittery makeup palette, her vision blurry for a second because of the stray angry tears that she quickly blinks away. It doesn’t help her situation and cluster of emotions to have Lottie increasing her insecurity about being dumb enough to believe Rocco when, apparently, it was incredibly easy to spot how much of a player he is, and neither does Chloe confronting the makeup artist for acting like a hypocrite; Minerva is receiving all of this conflict with full force and dangerously absorbing it all. In this instant, she has the sensation that she’s being bombarded with more and more feelings that she knows she can’t handle.

“I’m so sorry, Minni,” Hope says with a sincere tone to her voice, snapping the younger brunette out of her thoughts. Understanding that this isn’t the easiest thing to accept, the retail ambassador takes a moment to reflect on what they’ve talked about and realises that Minerva’s remained quiet this entire time, her unreadable facial expression currently fixed on a colourful makeup palette that’s between her pale hands. After all, Hope reckons that Rocco is Minni’s partner, so she probably knows him better than the rest of the girls, “We might be wrong, though. What do you think?”

“Nah, mate. It all bloody adds up,” the blue-eyed girl replies with a tight voice, frustrated. Normally, she would want to hear Rocco’s side of the story before coming to any definitive conclusions, but his attitude in the challenge is what makes her believe that the girls are telling the truth, only to sink her further in embarrassment.

“It’s so funny how you don’t see how it all comes together until afterwards,” Hope frowns out her words and waits to hear the young brunette reply.

“ _Funny_ ,” Minni huffs in disdain, bitterness dangerously dripping from her tongue. At this stage, after so many attempts to enclose her emotions and pretending she’s not as upset as she is, the physics student’s true state of mind is getting out in small busts and everything resurfaces at the smallest mishap. Not wanting to lose the small grasp of control she is still able to maintain, the young woman sits down in front of her vanity and breathes deeply.

“I just don’t get why he would do this,” Priya gentles out her confusion. A puzzled pout outlines her glossy lips and she steadies her absent dark eyes down at her shimmering heels, “We all came here to find love, and it seems like he’s just been playing a game.”

It doesn’t take long for Chloe to notice that her blue-eyed friend might be finding all of this quite overwhelming now, seeing her struggling to maintain eye contact with any of the girls and letting out shaky breaths. The French-Londoner delicately raises a hand mid-air to grasp the girls’ attention. Without much effort, all frantic cobalt eyes land on the older brunette and wait for her to speak.

“Maybe we should take a step back for a second. We’re giving Minni a lot to deal with all at once,” the instrumentalist hardens her voice, yet a hinge of worry sits at the tip of her tongue when she starts to remember that Minerva isn’t the only one affected but so is Gary.

Curious at what Marisol’s take is on all of this, Chloe begins to wonder where she could be. It definitely doesn’t help that she’s not here, because this only makes the sophisticated brunette build suspicions but, nonetheless, it’s only fair to hear her side of the story.

“None of us have talked to Marisol about this yet. If she’s gone behind everyone’s backs, that’s rather dodgy from her part. But she probably doesn’t know Rocco’s been chatting to all the girls either,” the hazel-eyed beauty adds whilst her fingers comb her loose chocolate brown locks from the end of her side braid, a habit she’s always had whenever she’s uneasy about something.

Then, Lottie flicks her pasty pink hair behind her shoulder and apathetically hums out her disinterest towards Chloe’s opinion on Marisol. What’s more on her mind is how to teach Rocco a lesson for what he’s done and said to the girls. “We’ve all been played by Rocco at this point, and I think we should do something about it,” she openly suggests and looks around to see with whom she can count on.

By now, all the tension inside Minerva is practically at the edge of exploding like hot lava. It doesn’t matter if what Rocco did was that big of a deal or not, whether it is worth it to confront him about it or not, or if she can even overcome her habit of not being confrontational. All that matters and all she can feel is swirling humiliation, warm fury and agitated frustration. Quick ruptures of memories, resentment and this haunting impulse of keep holding back and put on a happy face have the freckled girl surrounded and caged, causing everything to hit her at once. There’s the pressure of being recorded for the world to see, the anxiety of knowing there’s people watching her every move, how Rocco and Marisol behaved in the challenge and embarrassed her in front of the rest of the Islanders. 

It doesn’t help to hear the girls’ snarky comments as they’re so nonchalantly talking about how she just got played like if it didn’t hurt her having to listen to them. There’s no alcohol or parties she can use to forget whilst her negative emotions go away and, most importantly, that just she can’t keep faking that she’s _happy_. All of this catches Minerva in a darker place and she suddenly finds herself overwhelmed and seeing red— now powerless and helpless in her battle towards her negative emotions. All she can do is allow them to sink the Minni everyone knows and loves six feet under.

After hearing an exasperated exhale escape Minni’s lips, Chloe’s warm gaze carefully follows the silent young woman as she randomly stands, like if she’s about to depart the dressing room. The inner corner of the cellist’s eyebrows mildly lift, wondering if her younger friend could be feeling way too uncomfortable with the chat.

“Minni?” The older brunette worriedly asks.

Without saying a single word nor looking back, the blue-eyed girl storms towards the door and the rest of the feminine eyes widen, with faint gasps filling the room. Priya and Chloe exchange a quiet but concerned glance and, after a moment, the pair of glamorous women follow right behind the distressed student.

“Minni, wait!” One of the girls distantly calls out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that's quite the cliffhanger ;) stay tuned for part 2 to find out what happens next and definitely let us know your thoughts down below :3  
> btw, i'm so proud to show you guys that we commisioned none other than Minni herself: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fuseboxgames/comments/iaonaz/commission_for_ucassiahalley/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3] she was created by the amazingly talented artist smaiihands, and she totally made my MC dreams come true☆.｡.:*  
> also, thank you guys so much for the support this fic has been getting! see you next chapter｡･:*:･ﾟ★  
> -cassiahalley


	9. Day 6 - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not understanding where all the anger that’s exuding out of Minni is coming from, especially because she looked perfectly fine a couple of hours ago, Bobby tilts his head and opens his eyes a bit wider, quite puzzled. “W-what’s going on—?” he asks her with a small gasp.
> 
> It takes a single gesture from the freckled girl to cut her friend short, causing him to clamp his mouth shut. After that, she simply turns to Rocco, her eyes icy as they pierce his, “Fire pit, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends 👀We're back with part 2 of Day 6 🥳We're very excited to share this chapter as it's filled with a little bit of everything 💛As always, it's a pleasure to collaborate with my co-writer and can't wait to share the upcoming chapters in the future! 
> 
> Happy reading 😊

**Day 6**

**Part 2.** ****

**In the kitchen – Evening.**

“Mate, we’ve _just_ finished making dinner,” Bobby says, slumping his shoulders and releasing a bothered sigh.

After noticing how unbothered Jason is about his third serving and clearly not having the patience to wait for the girls to eat with the rest of the group, the Scotsman grows apprehensive to see the food quickly disappear from the stove. Without considering the rest of the Islanders’ hunger, the famished mechanic continues to devour the meal Bobby and Noah have prepared for tonight whilst the rest of the boys enjoy the cocktails they’ve won from the Kiss and Tell challenge.

Curious to see what Bobby is whining about, the tall librarian looms over the pan that he’s left cooling down and sees a little over half remaining of the stir fry. Noah steadies his sight over to Gary and Dicky, who are leaning against the counter. “That’s alright, there’s still plenty and I’m not sure if the girls will want to eat this late at night. Hope says she tries not to eat anything after eight o’clock because it’s bad for you,” he explains.

Soon after, Dicky disagreeably grumbles in between obnoxious smacked chews and darts his eyes at Noah for the comment. Having late night meals are probably one of his favourite things to do and has never experienced anything bad doing so. “That’s just a rubbish myth,” he states in a monotonous tone and shakes his head with disappointment.

Unsure whether or not he agrees with his mate’s opinion, Gary scratches the nape of his neck as he gets flashbacks from a sleepless night where he tried to keep up with Jason’s grotesque eating and ended up sick the next day, “I dunno, bruv. Remember that one time—”

“Hear me out, lads,” Dicky quickly interrupts the crane operator, knowing exactly what the blond lad is going to say and shakes his head as he’s ready to make his point across. He draws his fork, stacked with a heavy portion of the freshly made stir fry and continues. “Why is there a bloody lightbulb in the fridge if we’re not supposed to eat past eight?” He muffles out, confident that he’s proving his point.

Not sure if the hazel-eyed man is bantering or not, the rest of the boys remain silent and blink in a state of confusion to his logic. It doesn’t take long for Jason to notice that no one is agreeing with him and this makes his shoulders loosen, slightly defeated.

“Hold on,” Rocco says with a peaceful tone, as he raises his hands to get the rest of the men’s attention. “Why are we discussing regular food, when we could be discussing _food for the soul_?”

His confusing intervention alongside his attempt of poetic wording leaves everyone somewhat puzzled, whereas the Chathamites exchange a look, and Noah simply rubs the back of his head in silence. The area is left quiet since no one knows how to continue with the conversation, even with Dicky’s bothersome chews stopping for a moment.

“Food for the… soul?” Bobby mumbles, trying to understand what Rocco’s trying to say. 

“Yes, Bobby. Food for the soul,” the curly-haired Islander assures with a nod. After that, he takes a moment to stare at the distance, like if he’s thinking of something really profound. “With that I mean _love_ ,” he clarifies then, smirking with confidence.

Not knowing exactly how to respond to that either, less how to come up with a pun about it to ease the awkward silence, Gary instantly looks at Dicky to prevent his mate from throwing a mean one-liner which could turn things into another direction. And, although this is something he’d expect from the dark-haired mechanic, the younger man simply sees him rolling his eyes out of annoyance.

Needless to say, Jason has always been clearly irritated by Rocco’s dramatic way of speaking and takes every chance to make fun of it, but surprisingly, this lad’s odd way of expressing himself isn’t what is exasperating him the most right now. Ever since he saw how strange the curly-haired bloke behaved during today’s challenge, Dicky has practically lost the little respect he had for him, causing his antipathy towards him to grow exponentially.

It was extremely confusing for the hazel-eyed man to watch Rocco go ahead and snog Marisol every chance he had, right in front of everyone and obviously right in front of Minni. Whilst all of that was happening, the only conclusion Dicky could come up with on why the truck-owner suddenly seemed too into the dark blonde was that Minni finally convinced him to get to know another girl, because she student didn’t even bat an eye during the entire ordeal. There could be a possibility that the pair came to an agreement that he isn’t aware of and this held back the older Chathamite’s strong character, preventing him to call Rocco out on the spot. Despite this, he still doesn’t think that what he did was alright, even if there was an agreement. It was like if, all of the sudden, he wasn’t the same lad that was asking for reassurance this morning.

Making a genuine effort to tone down his urge to speak his mind, or to retaliate by mocking Rocco even just a bit, Jason clenches his jaw. He doesn’t want it to seem like he has a particular reason to target Rocco, especially when he doesn’t want the rest of the lads to think that he’s acting weird out of nowhere. It doesn’t really help that Dicky hasn’t had the best day so far, less after the challenge. On top of watching Rocco and Marisol kissing like a pair of horny adolescents, the raven-haired man had to go through the disappointment of getting the answer to his card wrong and missing a chance he probably won’t get again, at least not in the near future.

The mechanic’s turn arrived just when the boys were a few points away from surpassing the girls and, as soon as he read his card out loud, the lads thought they had it in the bag. The answer was almost unanimous between them, so he doesn’t really blame himself for the mistake, but Gary had a hunch that he most definitely should’ve taken into consideration. Still, Jason was impulsive and itched to take the lead for his team, so he stepped forward and gave Priya a brief kiss without giving it a second thought or re-thinking his best mate’s reasons to choose another girl. Jaws dropped the instant it was announced that ‘Priya’ wasn’t the correct answer and instead, ‘the girl who has the highest body count’ was none other than sweet Minerva, just like Gary had tried to convince the rest of the boys— in that moment, all Dicky wanted was to go back to the Villa and let himself drown in the infinity pool for missing the opportunity to snog her.

All of this has led the hazel-eyed man to find himself wanting to let out some of his feelings and choosing not to do so in order to keep his crush on Minni under wraps. However, it’s very difficult for him to not say or do what comes to mind because he’s not used to restraining himself like this.

“Guess I have no soul, then, cos I’d rather discuss regular food,” Jason ends up commenting and bites the inside of his cheek. Right after ending the phrase, a venomous sentence aimed at Rocco lays at the tip of his tongue, hard to not let out.

A stifled laugh comes out of Bobby, who by now has forgotten how defeated he felt when he saw his stir fry disappear in mere seconds, meanwhile Gary exhales, relieved for not having his best friend throw a harsher remark. On the other hand, Noah decides to take a more welcoming approach towards Rocco’s intentions to direct the conversation into another topic.

“Perhaps Rocco’s right. If we’re in a place that’s made to help us find love, we could use some time to talk about it,” the librarian says, kindly.

“That’s exactly what I meant,” the truck owner replies, proud and evidently wanting to take the lead of the chat. After that, he turns to speak directly to the older Chathamite, who is sitting across the counter, “You should definitely be more open-minded, Dicky. It’s well-known that embracing new ideas really helps balance your inner-self, and you could use some of that.”

Feeling his buttons being pushed dangerously despite not knowing if it’s Rocco’s intention or not, Jason raises his slit eyebrow and glares at the younger Islander; he can’t keep holding back any longer and has certainly had enough of this flimsy chat. “Alright, listen, you pinheaded flower-child—” he barks, but interrupts himself the instant he gets distracted by the sound of platform shoes hitting the deck. They seem louder than usual, the thumping echoing across the lawn, which causes the boys to look in the direction of the hallway leading to the inside of the Villa.

“Rocco!” a feminine voice calls before Minerva’s small frame is close enough to be identifiable.

Immediately as they see her coming towards the kitchen with strong steps, the lads know something’s surely wrong. Minni’s big blue eyes, that are usually squinting with joy or glimmering with cheekiness, now seem perturbed and are manifesting genuine anger: an emotion none of them have seen in her before. The truth is, she would often try and hide her irritation when pulling someone for a private chat, but after having heavy emotions bottled up for almost the entire day, she knows that they were bound to erupt and become uncontrollable, turning her temper into a volcano with heated rocks.

Deep down, Minerva knows that confronting Rocco like this could actually make her feel worse, giving that she struggles immensely when having to engage in arguments, but there’s somewhat of a blazing and raging force that is driving her to give him a piece of her mind and stand up for herself after all the embarrassment she’s been through because of him. At the end of the day, perhaps it’s only fair for her to let it out all on him since she’s the one who has had to go through the humiliation of being played, amongst all the small cringey things she tolerated from him. Still, she’s subconsciously afraid of how she will feel once her furious energy dies down.

Around the counter, everyone but Rocco exchanges a glance, perplexed by Minni’s unusual pissed off tone. Different coloured sets of eyes follow her as she approaches the kitchen at a steady pace, all men blinking in confusion and worrisome by the unexpected interruption.

“Minni, ma cherie!” The curly-haired man attempts to greet her with a crafted last-second smile and playing coy, seemingly not knowing why she is evidently fuming and not noticing that her blood-freezing stare is fixed only on him.

Once she’s close enough but maintaining her distance to the group, the brunette girl raises her eyebrows in outrage. “Ugh, don’t ‘ma cherie’ me,” Minerva scoffs and rolls her eyes in exasperation. Seeing Rocco either maintaining a front so he can act like if everything is alright between them, or being dumb enough not to realise that she would find out what he’s been doing sooner or later, fuels her rage even more, making her get defensive and cross her arms in front of her chest.

Not understanding where all the anger that’s exuding out of Minni is coming from, especially because she looked perfectly fine a couple of hours ago, Bobby tilts his head and opens his eyes a bit wider, quite puzzled. “W-what’s going on—?” he asks her with a small gasp.

It takes a single gesture from the freckled girl to cut her friend short, causing him to clamp his mouth shut. After that, she simply turns to Rocco, her eyes icy as they pierce his, “Fire pit, now.”

Without saying another word, Minerva turns around and heads to the fire pit, determined and not bothering to look back to check if her partner is behind her. A few seconds pass before Rocco figures out what could’ve pissed her off so much and chooses to reluctantly follow her, already feeling all eyes on the back of his head as he does so.

As the pair walks away in silence, the group of men remain in the kitchen and are more confused than before, especially when seeing Minni’s chill and kind persona unexpectedly disappeared. Whilst Noah looks at Bobby to see if her best friend’s reaction could give him a clue of what is happening, Gary’s crystal blue eyes stick to the physics student, distinguishing the amount of anger boiling in her small frame, noticeable even from a few feet away.

Attentively, the younger Chathamite sees the girl ordering Rocco to sit down, meanwhile she stands in front of him and with her back facing the rest of the Islanders. Seconds pass until he can faintly hear her high-pitched voice wording her scolding towards her partner. The crane operator would've never pictured today’s evening ending up with something like this, less coming from Minni, who is known for not making scenes and is actually the main peacekeeper of the Villa. The only thing that Gary is sure of is that it must take a lot to make her snap this way.

The muscular blond is submerged in his thoughts when he suddenly hears Dicky’s stool creaking as his mate stands up and leans forward on the kitchen’s counter to take a better look at the fire pit. His friend’s movement immediately gets Gary’s attention, now aware that this situation could turn out way worse if the mechanic decides to intervene, which is not far-fetched since Rocco has already been pressing his buttons. The blue-eyed man nervously realises how pissed off Jason would get if the tanned lad has genuinely done something to offend Minni or hurt her in any way.

Strangely, Dicky is not feeling enraged right now nor is he thinking of confronting Rocco anytime soon— it shocks him to figure out that anger is not what he feels but instead discovers a soreness coming from his stomach and his hands turning to fists; the tall brunet is profoundly worried. Rather than filling his thoughts with mocking and harsh quotes he could throw at the curly-haired man, there’s an urge to find out why Minerva is fuming or what’s got her into this state, and if he can be of any help to make her feel better. All he knows by now is that, whatever caused her to act this way, it’s most likely Rocco’s fault, maybe even related to today’s challenge.

Once Jason focuses enough, he can fathom what Minni is saying, in a strained voice he’s never heard in her before, and can also hear what her couple is responding to her.

“You told me to get to know other girls!” Rocco whines, trying to shift the blame on her for the situation they’re in.

“But you said you didn’t want to!” The freckled student growls back. “Yesterday you said, and I quote, ‘I know it’s best to keep our options open and that you still want to get to know everyone, but you’re the only one I feel a deep connection with. I don’t want to be with anyone else’, and now you just go ahead and snog her out of nowhere and in front of everyone like if you hadn’t repeated something similar this morning!” she tells him, motioning with her slender hands.

Whilst struggling to talk sense to her partner, Minerva’s calm and collected personality appears to have shifted completely, her attitude practically being unrecognisable. For the first time in her stay in the Villa, she’s not backing down when replying and is speaking without giving it too much thought. Although it makes her feel better to speak to Rocco with full force, she still feels like this unedited and raw emotion is not who she is, and it doesn’t help at all that he is still trying to justify what he did by blaming it on her.

The tanned man shakes his head then, and lets out a long sigh, knowing perfectly that the quote she just mentioned is exactly what he said. “Of course you’ve got a good memory, you’re a physics student,” he mumbles to himself.

“Well, he’s definitely in the doghouse,” Bobby’s concerned whispered words snap Dicky out of his focused state and, once the mechanic turns around to take a look at the rest of the lads, he notices that everyone is doing the same as him, which is staring at the arguing pair and trying to listen to what they’re saying.

Maintaining his poker face, Jason’s intense green-hazel stare returns to the fire pit and his only response to the Scottish is a deep affirmative grunt. His stifled body doesn’t move and he acquires a protective posture, his back straightening and chest puffing out.

Still on edge because of the conflict that’s escalating and not knowing whether his mate is going to intercede or not, Gary’s urged eyes dart back and forth between Dicky, Bobby and the fire pit. “But for what, though?” the blond man asks back in a quiet voice, confused.

The pastry chef doesn’t have time to articulate a proper answer, being instantly interrupted by all of the girls but Marisol hurrying out of the Villa. All of them stop midway with wide eyes when they notice they’ve arrived too late, because Minni has already pulled Rocco for a chat and they’re both arguing non-stop. After being frozen for a moment, Chloe takes the lead and beckons the girls to join the lads in the kitchen in complete silence, knowing it’s useless to get in the middle of the discussion.

“What’s happened up there?” Bobby murmurs to them, nodding at the dressing room since, undoubtedly, the girls were gathered there minutes ago.

An immediate disgusted sound escapes Lottie’s throat as she rolls her eyes. “We just found out Rocco’s been grafting behind Minni’s back,” she huffs, looking at the pair too.

“He’s offered to recouple with all of us but Chloe and nobody picked up on it until now,” Priya adds with a defeated exhalation.

Gary sets his jaw after hearing the girls’ responses, feeling a cold rush run up his back. The muscular man can’t believe how nobody saw Rocco chatting up nearly every girl here, and he guesses that the truck owner would’ve also tried to offer Chloe to recouple with him if he wasn’t blatantly terrified of Dicky’s character. After this thought, the first that comes to his mind is to question how Rocco could’ve done that to Minni. In his eyes, the younger brunette was head over heels for Rocco, and she has been nothing but one of the kindest partners anyone could ever have.

Suddenly, Gary remembers what happened this afternoon when Bobby and he found the couple chatting about uni in the lounging chairs. After the curly-haired man opened about his uni experience and his anxiety, and the three did their best to reassure him, the blond Chathamite couldn’t avoid noticing Minni holding her partner’s hand: a simple gesture that showed how much she cared for him. Maybe seeing the best in Rocco made her not notice a few red flags that could have warned her about this, although this doesn’t justify having him crack on behind her back.

“Why is she so angry, though? I thought she said she didn’t want to settle on Rocco just yet…” Hope perplexedly comments to herself and lets her words hang in the air.

“It’s not because of that,” Dicky’s voice rumbles an answer, directing his severe stare to the Islanders that are in the kitchen. He has been eerily quiet this entire time and few of them are able to pick up on his unreadable expression; it’s like if, for the first time, he's keeping his thoughts to himself and is actually being careful when choosing his words.

The truth is, the raven-haired man was never planning on letting anyone know about the conversation him and Minni had this morning and agrees that it’s slightly out of character of her to be this mad, but there’s no way he will let the Islanders think that she’s overreacting or being jealous on her partner when it’s the complete opposite. And, after listening to the girls’ explanation on why Minni stormed off the dressing room, everything fits like puzzle pieces for Jason, “She’s fuming because she gave Rocco the option to get to know whoever he wants and he declined, then he started asking her not to crack on with the rest of the lads because he wants to stick with her, and it turned out he has been lying and grafting on birds all along anyway.”

The mechanic’s information provokes a choir of gasps and it takes a couple of seconds for the news to sink in and for everyone to come up with their own conclusions. In the meantime, Dicky maintains his poker face as a defence mechanism not to show how truly preoccupied and bothered he is by what has gone down and, for a moment, he catches Chloe staring at him with saddened eyes, possibly asking herself how all of this flew past her.

“So basically Rocco has been leading Minni on and telling her that he doesn’t want to be coupled up with anyone else, but still chatting up the rest of the girls to get them to recouple with him?” Bobby voices what most of the Islanders have in mind.

After replying with a stern nod, Jason’s glare returns to the pair of young Islanders who keep discussing at the fire pit. As if it was on cue, Minni raises her voice out of pure stress, making it more audible for the people who are at the kitchen, her words proving the mechanic’s point even further.

“I’ve never had a problem with you grafting on other girls, and you know that,” the blue-eyed girl says, throwing her hands in the air. “But, instead of letting me know as _we agreed to_ , you kept it all a secret, had the guts to get jealous whenever I got mildly flirty with other boys and, on top of that, you made me reassure you countless times and tried to convince me to stick with you. I was completely honest and understanding with you and you _still lied_.”

“If you didn’t care then why are you mad at me?” Rocco questions defensively, running a hand through his curly hair and pulling at the strands.

“Bloody hell, I just explained it to you!” Minerva exclaims with exasperation. Tension is in every line of her body, making her appear like she is almost vibrating with murky energy as she stands her ground.

While the physics student continues to scold her partner, the other Islanders listen to them with attention. Bobby is the only one that’s trying not to stare at the pair for too long and has his eyes mainly fixed on the counter. Silently, the Scottish wishes he could do something to help, that he should’ve done something so the argument wouldn’t have even started in the first place, or that he should've noticed that Rocco was playing his friend. When he listens to the words that keep rolling off Minni’s tongue and out of her mouth, he can’t help but think that it’s like they aren’t even coming from her. Now that both parts of the young couple reply after not quite listening to each other, talking is practically useless at this point. Moreover, Rocco’s weak excuses only cause anger to simmer under the freckeld girl’s skin.

“How did you know that?” Priya breaks the silence and aims her question at Dicky, genuinely surprised by how the mysterious mechanic was able to come up with such an accurate deduction.

“She was worried cos Rocco was acting jealous this morning. That lad was practically asking her to be exclusive and that made her uncomfortable,” the brunet man says, his face being unreadable whilst he briefly looks at the dark red-haired woman.

Before anyone can ask further questions, Lottie lets out an impressed yet ironic chuckle. “And Minni told _you_?” she asks, not quite believing that.

Just as Dicky is about to inhale a bitter reply to the blonde, Chloe is quick enough to place a hand on his arm to indistinguishably stop him. “We’re missing something here,” the musician tells them in an effort to maintain some peace. “Where’s Marisol? We need to talk to her before she overhears them,” she continues, scanning the lawn with her hazel eyes. So far, the law student is nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the girls know for a fact that she wasn’t in the dressing room nor in the communal bedroom, since they took some time to rapidly look for her before coming after Minni. At this point, it’s also becoming a priority to search for the Spanish girl and settle any misunderstandings.

“What do you need her for?” Noah says, confused by the change of topic.

“Because she probably doesn’t know Rocco’s been chatting to all the girls. We don’t want her to find out this way. She will be upset enough just by the news,” Priya clarifies, being a little nervous whereas she fidgets with her golden bracelets.

The mention of his current partner causes Gary to turn his full attention back to the group, not completely understanding where the urge of telling Marisol is coming from. It’s true that her and Rocco kissed twice in today’s challenge, but the crane operator didn’t think much of it because it was just a game. He hasn’t seen those two being close enough for her to feel hurt if she finds out that he’s been asking the girls to recouple just to stay in the Villa. If anything, Gary figures that Marisol will just be pissed off, not exactly upset as Priya is implying.

“Mate, I wouldn’t worry too much. I don’t think she will be too bothered by it, if I’m honest. They just kissed during a challenge,” Gary dismisses with a shrug.

A small sigh gets out of Hope’s lips when listening to the bearded man’s easy-going sentence. If it was difficult to break the news to Minni, who was completely oblivious to the situation, it will be equally harder to do it again with Gary, who also seems completely clueless, and especially knowing that he was making great efforts to get to know Marisol, “Hun, this isn’t just about those kisses.”

“What do you mean?” The blond Chathamite asks, then. It’s almost as if the same naiveness that was in Minni’s cobalt eyes is being reflected in Gary’s light-blue ones.

Pursing her tinted lips, Priya places a gentle hand on the humble crane operator’s broad, plaid covered shoulder and pauses for a moment as she looks for the right words to let him know that he has also been played, “Well... it feels as though the kisses were part of something bigger between the two of them…”

**At the lounge chairs - Evening.[ **♬**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBcUok-7Dk8)**

A resounding sigh pushes out of Marisol’s bright red lips after turning off her phone yet again. She leans her tense back against the cold lounge chair and doesn’t exactly know what to think of today. Ever since the challenge, the law student has made sure to remain lonesome and without the interference of the others, especially from the girls. It’s been very difficult trying to avoid the rest of the Islanders, considering that they will most likely want to bring up the topic of the numerous times her and Rocco had kissed during the challenge. Miraculously, she was able to change into her evening clothes along with fixing up her hair and make-up in the bedroom whilst overhearing the chat that the girls were having with Minni.

Considering how upset Minerva sounded before departing the dressing room, Marisol reckons that right now wouldn’t be a good time to talk to the freckled girl. But even like that, she knows that the rest of the girls are bound to gather and have a chat about this, something she’s not really keen on doing but, if the occasion arises, she might as well let everyone know how she feels about Rocco. Yet, the thought of confronting them about this mishap only makes her dread this night more, particularly when someone like Lottie is easy to throw shade for not following Girl Code. Surely, with Hope and Priya being the older ones of the group, there’s no denying that they will try to ease into the topic, but, as for Chloe, Marisol isn’t very certain. Although she’s always been such a calm and friendly girl, knowing that the astrophysics student and she are one of the closest friends in the Villa, it’s needless to say that the hazel-eyed Londoner will take Minni’s side.

“Mind if I have a seat?” A smooth and sultry voice makes Marisol’s head immediately turn to catch sight of a familiar classical cellist standing with complete poise and natural elegance.

 _Speak of the devil_ , the Spanish girl thinks. There’s no way to escape this interaction now and seeing that Chloe is already forming a sincere smile over her full lips, this gives the dark blonde the ease to allow a chat between the two.

Then, she silently nods as a gesture to accept her company and watches how delicately the French-English woman is setting her petite body on the lounge chair that’s right beside hers.

A short silence cycles between the two women, neither of them ready to mention the elephant in the room. But more so, it’s Chloe trying to find a way to bring up the talk about not only Marisol possibly being another puppet for Rocco but also the fact that Minerva has been affected by all of this. The young musician straightens her back and profoundly inhales the fresh air before clearing her throat.

“Today’s been rather scandalising, hasn’t it?” Chloe starts, cautiously exhaling out her words to test the waters with the brown-eyed girl’s openness to the chat.

Without receiving much of a response other than a slight agreeing hum from her, the musical performer determines herself to not leave this spot until they’ve had a productive talk. This isn’t just about Minni, especially when recalling the look on Gary's face to find out that his partner has been chatting up with another lad, and this makes Chloe think that he had no idea about it either.

“Look, I think we should have a little chat about you and Rocco—” Chloe clamps her mouth shut as she’s instantly cut off and interrupted.

“It’s not like that,” Marisol says, her tone of voice carrying a bit of a defensive tint as she starts.

Then, she takes off her black frames out of apprehension and locks eyes with the glamorous brunette. There’s this need to excuse the fact that she took heavy advantage of today’s challenge and passionately snogged the curly-haired bloke more than once. And, even though she knows that Chloe is a very intellectual woman, she doesn’t hesitate to lie right through her teeth and pray that this is enough for the musician to drop the subject.

“There isn’t a ‘me and Rocco’ at the moment. We’re just two people that kissed today,” the dark blonde firmly states.

With a slightly arched eyebrow, it takes Chloe a moment to let the persuasive reply sink in followed by the recent memory of how intimate those kisses seemed. It almost looked like it was something they were planning this entire time and, to be frank, no-one kisses like that without having a bit of history. As much as she wants to agree with Marisol, something tells the posh Islander that she’s not being completely truthful. And, even if what’s mentioned is the truth, there’s still no excuse for proceeding with such a disrespectful act towards Minerva and her own partner. The Cambridge student has been such a great person to everyone by lending her undivided attention when someone needed to be heard and to be paid like this; it’s certainly undeserving.

The hazel-eyed girl gently shakes her head, refusing to accept Marisol’s answer, and starts playing with one of the golden rings that adorns her slender fingers. “That doesn’t make it any better. I mean, have you not thought about how Minni might’ve taken this?” She questions.

Not wanting to grow too annoyed at a question that she was already anticipating, the Portsmouth native blinks her visibly irked eyes out to the sight of the shimmering surface of the pool’s gentle waves. Truthfully, she doesn’t know if it’s the right time to confess that her and Rocco have been developing a romantic relationship behind Minerva’s back. Unsure of how the lavishly dressed brunette will react to this next opinion, Marisol steadies her oxygen through her nostrils.

“I know Minni is your friend, but I don’t understand why you’re having a go at me when she was snogging half of the boys in the challenge,” the law student bitterly remarks.

In disbelief to have heard what’s bothering the wavy-haired girl, Chloe lowers her unsure eyebrows and looks down at her pencil skirt as she begins to think about the kisses from both girls. What Marisol had exhibited cannot match the evident banter Minni carried during the challenge, because it’s just an unfair comparison. With this in thought, the London girl sighs out an intolerant groan and can’t help but roll her eyes. It’s become quite difficult for the older brunette to remain patient during the chat when it’s clear that Marisol is trying to shift gears on the subject and point fingers in the other direction, something Chloe is surely not falling for.

“Mate, you know how cheeky Minni is and all of the snogging was just part of the challenge. You can’t sit here and tell me that your kisses with Rocco were also playful,” the irritated musician sharply responds. Just now, she realises calling her ‘mate’, a term Chloe explicitly uses if she’s very testy or if she’s in an extremely good mood.

Not liking the instrumentalist’s tone one bit, Marisol twists her face into a grimace and tightens her cherry-coloured lips into a displeased pout, “You don’t have to believe me, babes. And I don’t care what you think, to be honest.”

Hearing such a vocal and entitled sentence, Chloe can’t seem to hold back how her bright eyes narrow into a challenged glare. Maybe she isn’t approaching this matter as graciously as she wanted, but it also doesn’t help that Marisol isn’t willing to accept that she’s part of this issue. And, despite not finding the chat pleasing whatsoever, it’s pivotal for the sophisticated girl to figure out if Marisol knows about Rocco grafting on the rest of the girls. Even though the ombre-haired woman’s behaviour hasn’t been favourable, Chloe is still determined to break the news about Rocco. If she were ever in the same shoes as the law student, she would also want someone to tell her if a guy is just playing with her feelings.

An intimidating zap spirals when her stare burns right through Marisol and causes her to shift her small frame, readjusting her sitting position once the overwhelm and pressure of telling the truth starts to heat up on her cheeks. Realising that she shouldn’t underestimate Chloe’s pushiness, the dark blonde defeatedly releases her stored breath and steadies her frantic brown eyes over at the older Islander. She reckons that it’s best to just come out with the truth with someone as reasonable as the classical cellist rather than doing it with the group of girls that would surely be on her neck asking endless questions. Despite the fact that Chloe is good friends with Minni, Marisol remembers their first day in the Villa, and she could tell that the hazel-eyed woman wasn’t completely keen on the Girl Code Lottie and Hannah would chant about, so perhaps telling her about the reasoning on going for Rocco will resonate just fine.

“I honestly hadn’t thought about Rocco until the other day. I think it was the day Henrik and Lucas came in...” Marisol quietly begins her confession.

To hear the dark blonde come out and start admitting what she’s been trying to hold back this entire time, Chloe straightens her back and intently listens. She really didn’t have expectations to see Marisol cooperating, so the London girl silently studies the vulnerable body language that the law student is showcasing as she continues to speak, and makes sure to soak in all of the details.

“He just pulled me aside and we started talking. When I said I wasn’t _that_ into Gary at the moment, it was like something clicked between us,” Marisol pauses, briefly thinking about the welcome party that was thrown for Henrik and Lucas; it was such a weird day.

With the arrival of the new boys and knowing they are strong competition, she thought this would be the opportunity to get closer to the crane operator, but it only worsened their interactions and slimmed down to awkward greetings. Throughout the day, she’d notice the blond lad would be roaming around the Villa by himself and whilst she knew that the best intentions were to search for Gary’s attention and chat about where they were as a couple, instead she simply concluded there was no need to put effort towards their failed relationship.

Yielding her thought process, the Spanish girl blinks her brown eyes to bring herself back to the chat and continues with her explanation, wondering how Chloe’s taking it since her facial expressions have remained unreadable this entire time.

“We didn’t do anything else then, but when I had the chance to kiss him in the challenge today, I had to do it. Just to see if what we had was real,” Marisol finishes with honest words, finally steadying her sight forward and has yet to see the elegant Londoner respond to the articulation.

With conflictive opinions, Chloe can understand if the dark blonde is attracted to someone else, but the way she went about it was utterly horrible. Hearing Marisol’s explanation makes a lot of sense and, to some degree, the professional musician understands why she went for a kiss. However, what’s mostly bothering her is that all of this was done without the consideration of Minerva or Gary’s feelings; it was an act of selfishness and dishonesty, something that doesn’t swim well with the hazel-eyed girl’s morality. Just for a split second, the luxurious Islander flickers her dark lashes over to the distant kitchen, spotting Hope, Priya, and Lottie talking amongst themselves and eating up the stir fry Bobby and Noah made. And, though they’re trying to mind their own business, it’s quite clear that they’re doing a poor job acting subtle when prying eyes remain glued at the lounge chairs, carefully listening to the chat Chloe and Marisol are having.

The sound of the Portsmouth student’s voice makes Chloe come back to her senses and lend her attention again.

“I think he’s been holding back until he knew that he wouldn’t be stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s really respectful...” Marisol affirms, naïve to what Rocco’s done with the rest of the girls and the promises he made to Minerva.

A contradicting statement such as this one just doesn’t align well with the cellist when Rocco’s intentions are to stay safe in the Villa and because the tan girl was the most probable to look elsewhere, she was an easy target for the man. Perhaps right now would be a good time to let her know that he’s not as genuine as he’s making himself appear to be. The only thing that makes Chloe grow hesitant about exposing another can of worms is how Marisol will take it since they’ve never really chatted except for the occasions when the girls huddle to interact. With Minni, it was a tad challenging to apply minimal comfort in the dressing room and she’s one of the people the London beauty feels like she can say is good friends with.

“Obviously, we could’ve handled this whole thing better, but I hope you understand where I’m coming from,” the Spanish Islander says, a casual flow to her words.

Hoping what she’s elaborating is enough for the musical performer to feel convinced, her brown eyes take a brief glimpse to notice that the elegant woman hasn’t moved a muscle nor blinked out any reaction to what’s been said. Seamless to say that there’s discomfort to her lack of response, and this is making Marisol doubt that the explanation will win Chloe over. Yet, there’s still hope that this chat will be told to Minni and the hazel-eyed girl can ease in the talk rather than having to do it herself.

It takes Chloe a concise moment to gather all of her thoughts and feelings towards this messy night. Whilst the dark blonde was investing worthless phrases, this entire time, the ravish Londoner hasn’t stopped worrying about Gary’s and how he’s been taking this, too. Sure, Minerva is being quite affected by such a despicable betrayal from Rocco’s part, but Marisol’s done the same to the blond man. He was hard to read when witnessing the argument between Rocco and Minerva. Everyone’s attention was indisputably locked over at the fire pit where the heavy discussion took place but there were moments when Chloe felt the need to shift some of her concerned attentiveness to Gary’s direction. An unsure frown dangled at the edges of his mouth and the gloom of disappointment sucked the brightness out of his beautiful blue eyes after being told about Marisol’s closeness with Rocco— an image the petite musician never thought would impact her heart. And even though the muscular bearded man tried to act unbothered and cool as always, there was something miserable about his voice that made Chloe believe he’s not truly okay with any of this.

Regardless of the upfront confession about fancying her this morning, Chloe has wondered if he still held hope that things would work out with his current partner. The conversations the classical cellist held with him and seeing how genuinely upset he felt to discover things weren’t working out with Marisol, this aligns the assumption that he still possibly clings to the idea of keeping the ombre-haired girl as his primary choice. Mild heartache and anger combine when it’s becoming difficult to accept that she’s sitting in front of the woman who’s recklessly ignored the blond Chathamite’s feelings and effort to work things out. With this in thought, a strong urge to advocate for Gary tremendously burns Chloe’s throat as protective words begin to pile up on her tongue, ready to burst defensively for the sake of her spiky-haired friend.

Unable to store more of these bothered feelings, an intolerant hiss shoots out of the older brunette. “I can see why you went for the kiss if you fancy the bloke, but I don’t think what you did was honest. I mean, have you not thought about how Gary is taking all of this, too?” Chloe questions, vigorously. Then, the posh-looking girl loosely crosses her arms under her bosom whilst keeping her vigilant stare on the law student. “It’s like you’ve forgotten he’s your partner,” she concludes with her vocals turning heavy.

With the lack of disguising the astonishment, Marisol can barely part her lips to speak up and remains a little fazed after bringing up the matter of Gary. Just now, they were talking about Minni and Rocco but at the same time, she’s glad he’s being mentioned to remind the hazel-eyed girl what he’d done. It’s not only odd to hear Chloe defend him but listening to the hinge of ache hooked in her voice makes the Spanish girl raise a questionable eyebrow.

“Babes, I’m not sure if you’ve forgotten that he lied about doing bits with me and, ever since I’d asked you about the spark, I knew I wasn’t feeling it with him.” Marisol shrugs an apathetic shoulder after noticing how Chloe’s chin faintly trembles to her answer. She feels like the point that’s been brought up should be more than suffice to understand why she hasn’t continued anything with the crane operator.

With utter disbelief at how indifferent the Portsmouth native is acting towards Gary, Chloe now understands why he would display such disappointment when his issues with Marisol were brought up. Looking into her dark eyes, the gorgeous musician is certain that there is no remorse to her statement and is evidently resentful towards the lie he had made up. Chloe can’t find herself in agreement with the dark blonde when the brawny bearded lad has placed enormous effort to get closer to his current partner and all she’s done is easily dismissed his kind gestures.

Yes, even the French-English woman carried an unsure opinion towards Gary after that morning when he was flaunting about doing bits with his partner but once she had the opportunity to get to know him a little more, she was able to discover a gentler, more sensitive soul rather than the promiscuous lad type of impression he prefers to embody— and this is exactly what Marisol fails to see. If she could’ve just given him a proper chance, the Spanish girl would’ve noticed how great of a partner the Chatham man can be.

“As much as I don’t agree with what he’s said, I know for a fact that Gary regrets it and was man enough to apologise to _you_ about it,” Chloe placidly argues and sucks in a broken inhale in between her saddened lips.

There’s pain in her throat which makes her faintly choke out those defensive words. At some point, she’s even become unaware that these emotions have been provoked because of how near and dear the tattooed blond has become for her.

“That still doesn’t change what he’s done,” Marisol simply states, firm on her unchanged opinion and unresponsive to the truthful debate Chloe’s introduced.

Quite honestly, the tan girl can’t deny that she still finds the crane operator totally fit but what she’s managed to have with Rocco isn’t worth letting go. Plus, it doesn’t help that she and Gary have been incredibly distant shortly after coupling up; it’s been very clear for the current pair that the spark is simply not there. And to add more to their ceased so-called relationship, he’s just not the type of man she’s looking for when it comes to attaining a steady relationship.

Aggravation fuels within the classy cellist to hear how unwilling Marisol is to accept Gary’s redeemable acts when she carries a wrongful deed of unfaithfulness herself. With the thought of how lovely and tentative Gary was this morning, it deeply saddens Chloe to know that he’s also been played and cheated on.

Followed by a compressed sigh roughly pushing through her teeth, Chloe blinks her vexed eyes to the tan woman and instantly notices the reserved body language she’s exhibiting. As a way to keep her composure, the dark-haired musician swiftly pushes her loose brown hair strand behind her ear and levels fiery sunny orbs directly at Marisol again.

“Have you even told Gary directly that you’re not feeling anything for him? He deserves to know you’re looking elsewhere,” she asks with graceful vocals but gains no control towards her unfriendly tone as it slips easily off her irked tongue. Then, Chloe instinctively creates angered small fists with her hands, foreseeing the pathetic answer that’s about to fall off Marisol’s mouth.

The dark blonde takes a generous pause to breathe in the crisp cool air that’s gently swaying her wavy hair and raises a thin eyebrow at the cellist. Refusing to admit her wrongs, she ignores the question and levels her sight with the elegant brunette. But Chloe is quick to break the eye contact to lower her disheartened gaze and blankly stare at her designer heels.

“If I ever get a chance to recouple with Rocco, I won’t hesitate to go for what I want,” Marisol states, determined.

A scowl wrinkles across Chloe’s beautiful facial features to hear how meaningless Gary is to his current partner. Feeling appalled, disgusted and furious altogether to know the younger blond is being thrown away like an old rag, it causes the classy London girl to clench her tense jaw, forming an angered pout over her snarling lips, and finding all of this simply unfair for the crane operator. A gutted sensation begins to swirl uncomfortably in Chloe’s stomach to realise how likely it is for Gary to be at risk of leaving the Villa all because Marisol was never completely honest with him. Meaning that there’s also the likely chance that his time here could come to a near end and the thought of never seeing his handsome face or hearing his deep masculine voice again until the end of her journey here; it brings this strange emptiness in Chloe’s fragile chest.

There’s nearly not enough composure left within her eyes and darts her glowering golden orbs that burn right through the young woman with wavy ombre locks.

“I know you’re just looking out for yourself but it’s because of Gary that you’re still here, Marisol. He could’ve easily sent you home on that Recoupling,” Chloe quickly snaps back, her velvet voice bitterly stings each time she inhales her shaky breath.

“I’m not going to stick with Gary just to be loyal, babes. You’re almost starting to sound like Lottie.” Marisol scoffs at her displeasure of being called out like this and immediately regrets accepting this talk with the French-Londoner, forgetting that she’s partially a confrontational person, too.

Within seconds, the older brunette rolls her irritable eyes when compared to the dramatic Australian Islander, but pushes that aside when she faintly listens to the distant gasps and whispers from Hope, Lottie, and Priya who are still at the kitchen, fully invested into the argument.

“I’ve never said anything about loyalty and I’m not telling you to stick with Gary if you’re not feeling it with him, but I _am_ telling you to be honest with your partner and not leave him blinded. You do owe him that, wouldn’t you agree?” Chloe promptly questions and twitches her lips into a spiteful smile to notice that Marisol is tongue-tied.

Ironic to know her career path evolves around debating; Marisol is left stumped and without anything else to say. Remaining with a short silence, she gulps her mild embarrassment to the conclusion of this chat and relaxes a small frown over her bright red lips. “Now what? Are we like, rivals?” She asks, curiously.

This being her turn to not directly answer her question, Chloe forces her curvy but slender figure off the lounge chair and pushes her shoulders to straighten with her usual poise. A disbelieving chuckle airs out of her full lips and shakes her head.

“I’ll leave that for you to decide. Now if you’ll excuse me, my time is far more valuable than to entertain the rest of this nonsense. I reckon this chat is nevermore necessary,” the posh musician utters before turning her back on the Spanish Islander and her legs begin strutting away from the tense ambiance.

**At the fire pit – Evening.[ **♬**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSbAFPeIv8Q)**

Without focusing where she’s exactly walking, Chloe is buried in thoughts and mixed emotions because of the conversation she was part of at the lounge chairs, her full lips sink into a deeper frown. Before approaching Marisol, the cellist’s core objectives were two things: bring sense into her that she’s partially responsible for hurting Minni, but also to figure out if she might’ve fallen as another illusive victim of Rocco’s lies. But, somehow, the unexpected turn of the chat ended up about Gary.

Still trying to figure out why her heart continues to tighten for the crane operator if he’s just a friend to her, this sensation refuses to diffuse from her sun-kissed skin. Surely both of her blue-eyed friends, Minni and Gary, are affected by their current partners practically playing them in front of everyone. And whilst the London beauty feels empathy for her Cambridge friend, what she feels for the spiky-haired blond completely contrasts. Rather than empathy for a mate, Chloe is coming to terms that this isn’t what she’d feel for just anyone. This discomfort that is slowly swirling at the centre of her mind is a reminder to Chloe that perhaps what she could be feeling for Gary is more than physical attraction or a silly summer crush.

Knowing so much has happened in one day and finding trouble understanding how she’s come to feel like this for the golden bearded bloke, the sophisticated woman reckons it’s best to head back towards the bedroom to recollect herself and check up on Minerva since she hasn’t seen her ever since she confronted Rocco.

Before taking a turn to direct herself towards the communal bedroom, Chloe spots a familiar bulky figure over at the lonesome fire pit. Gary sits in front of the fiery flames that crackle mid-air and is joined by the night’s silence. It doesn’t take long for the blue-eyed man to see a stunning French-English cellist nearby and shifts his undivided attention towards her.

A dashing grin stretches across his stubbled cheeks as he straightens his back, feeling proper excited to see the older brunette again. Then, his sight can’t miss the opportunity to notice how breath-taking she always looks with her luxurious garments.

“Chloe...” he barely manages to breathe out her name, still in awe of her presence. There’s a stilled pause as the pair comfortably share a gaze until Gary clears his deep voice. “There’s a bit of a frosty atmosphere around here tonight,” he declares, coolly.

Thinking it will seem more convincing, the muscular blond pretends he’s shivering and hovers his burly pale hands over the fire to seek the warmth. Seeing his silliness, a soft giggle murmurs from the hazel-eyed girl as she draws her fingers over her amused smile.

“Come and join me,” Gary kindly offers and pats an empty seat beside him.

Willing to accept the handsome company, Chloe’s black heels lowly thump against the deck and she settles herself just a few seats away from the younger Chathamite, creating a polite distance between the pair.

The crane operator blinks his eyes to notice his posh friend sitting so far away from him and lifts his thick dark eyebrows. “What are you doing all the way over there?” He curiously questions and chuckles until a cheeky smirk curls his lips, “I meant, come sit next to me. The fire isn’t enough to keep us both warm, darling.”

Instantly detecting his flirty baritone voice, Chloe finds his smirk contagious and charming, quickly mirroring her own grin. Soon after, she decides to obey by sliding her petite figure over the long bench and spots Gary cooperating himself by moving a little closer to meet her halfway. Finally, the pair sits right next to each other, with their knees and shoulders barely grazing.

For a short moment, Chloe and Gary lock expressive eyes and can’t seem to move away from such a mesmerising sight of one another, silently admiring their physical beauty this up close. Easily, she gets lost in the blue eyes that hide behind his black frames, especially when the glow from the firelight dances on his pupils. Thinking it’s coming from the fire pit’s heat, the classy cellist feels her high cheekbones pigmenting in a faint blush when she realises her stare has lingered a little too long, and this makes the bulky man crack a knowing smile.

Dark lashes blink, slightly embarrassed to have imprudently stared for too long and Chloe glues her shy eyes at the swimming flames instead. She normally isn’t a bashful person— on the contrary, confidence is never absent for the elegant musician, but there’s something about Gary that strips all of that and leaves her vulnerable in the best way possible, something too difficult to explain.

“So, what are you up to? I reckoned you’ve been looking for Minni ever since she gave Rocco a piece of her mind,” he states, now becoming serious about the subject.

Forgetting why she was keeping her stare on the bright fire, Chloe angles her head to the side and steadies her expectant look at Gary, whose face is mildly cringing to recall the argument between their freckled friend and her current partner. Learning how Rocco’s been falsely promising the astrophysics student whilst cracking on with the rest of the girls has been a right surprise, because there was never a moment when he’d openly tell the boys that he fancied someone else other than Minni. In fact, when Lucas and Henrik came in, the truck owner kept asking Gary and Bobby, the two men she would usually talks to, if they knew anything about the cobalt-eyed girl fancying any of the new boys. So, with this in mind, the blond man was positive Rocco was remaining loyal to his partner.

“That whole Rocco situation was so hard to watch,” the muscled Chathamite continues. He relaxes his mouth into a small frown and shakes his head disapprovingly. “None of us guys knew he was playing all the girls like that and, mate, if Dicky had bloody known about this earlier...” Gary’s deep voice comes to a quiet wisp of air when he recalls the cold and intimidating glares that the older mechanic was throwing at Rocco earlier from the kitchen.

Chloe lifts her concerned expression towards her companion and closely listens. He’s casually brought up the fact that Jason fancies Minni, something refreshing to hear from someone else, since the brunet man strictly told Chloe to not mention it to anyone and, as much as she would love to talk about that with Dicky’s close mate, the sophisticated girl is more focused on how Gary is feeling right now.

“What about you, hun? I know it’s a tad hard to know Marisol’s done the same to you,” she gently asks.

Allowing a moment to ponder the cellist’s question, Gary quickly blinks, unsure how to handle his answer when no one’s asked him how he’s feeling. It was generous from Priya’s part to explain what Marisol and Rocco have been up to but no one seemed interested enough to ask Gary how he’s holding up; not until now. 

“Huh?” He huffs out, unsure but steadies a nod, “Yeah...” The brawny man scratches his golden stubble.

It takes a moment for him to slump his broad shoulders, as he starts contemplating his true feelings about Marisol, even though he isn’t certain on where to start. Quite frankly, he didn’t think too much about the challenge from earlier, but hearing about the issue with Rocco, a lot is making sense right now— starting with the Spanish girl’s weird behaviour whenever she tried to excuse herself after Rocco was around. Of course Gary doesn’t fancy Marisol that much now that he’s gotten to know Chloe, but considering that he’s been burned in the past by other birds in Chatham, it’s especially humiliating for him knowing this is being aired on the telly for everyone in the UK to see. Now that he doesn’t necessarily have a strong probability of staying in the Villa, his mind races and silently admits he’s, yet again, back on square one. With his current partner, there’s nothing to look forward to and can’t even see anything ever prospering between the two.

Next in mind, Chloe is the only bird he’s been highly anticipating working something out now that he’s confessed his attraction towards her, but never received a definite answer from her. Because of this, Gary easily assumes that she, most likely, only wants to remain friends and put all her eggs in Lucas’ basket.

Insecurity and doubt begin eating up his insides to think that he’ll have to give up on pursuing the older brunette and narrow down his options to the only remaining bird that’s certainly been fancying him, which is none other than Lottie. And, although he’s kept an open mind by carrying some chats with her, if they end up coupling up, he knows that every second that he shares with Chloe, his infatuation for her will devour his heart.

“Gary...?” A soothing voice distantly caresses his ears and snaps him back to catch sight of her lemon-coloured eyes, shimmering with worry towards his silence.

For a split moment, a weakened frown downturn the corners of his lips and clenches his strong jaw, frustrated. Just when he wanted to think that things here were balancing for him, Gary comes to find out Marisol’s mugged him off. He isn’t that blind and didn’t take long to notice that they weren’t working out, but what’s mostly bothering him is how entitled the dark blonde has gone because he lied about doing bits when she was quite possibly doing small bits with another bloke.

With genuine worry for the crane operator, Chloe starts to feel useless sitting quietly beside his muscular yet feeble frame and witnesses his face falling into disappointment. Not being able to help nor heal him makes her heart tighten in ache when admittedly, she would do anything to abolish whatever is causing his frown to deepen.

A dry sigh pushes through his teeth. Not brave enough to allow the petite London girl to see his sky-coloured eyes, Gary keeps his distracted vision down on the hem of his red plaid shirt. “Sometimes, I wonder why I signed for this bloody show,” the blond murmurs, sincerely.

Afraid of revealing a sample of his sentiments and unintentionally exposing the stress he’s done so well of masking all day, Gary plasters an easy-going grin, so convincing that even he’s starting to believe that everything’s fine. “But don’t worry about me, Clo. I’m sure there will be other fit birds I can try to crack on,” he optimistically utters, knowing well enough that the lack of confidence is crippling in his stomach.

He gulps Chloe’s name, which has been dangling at the tip of his tongue, and the urge reminds him how much he still fancies her, but decides against it. Even if he hasn’t received a proper answer from the musician, it’s likely that she doesn’t know how to tell him that she doesn’t reciprocate the same attraction. Needless to say, Gary refuses to push any of his feelings on her and reckons that telling her once was more than enough for her to know he has an open door.

“But I _do_ worry, hun. I’m not sure how much you might’ve fancied Marisol, but she wasn’t willing to give you a chance,” Chloe sadly exclaims and, compelled to be a comforting friend, her hand carefully slides over the tattooed part of Gary’s strong forearm and gives it a gentle squeeze.

Then, a familiar zap of electricity prickles their skins until numbness radiates between the pair. Trying to focus more on getting her point across, the Londoner can’t help but feel distracted when experiencing this spark that she’s felt with Gary before, “I know you would be a splendid partner for any girl that walks into this Villa,” she affirms, breathlessly.

The combination of the coolness coming from the moonlight and the warmth of the flakes originating from the fire pit creates a comforting balance that allows the muscular Chathamite to welcome the same bolt of energy refusing to go away between him and Chloe. He’s always trying to mask his emotions with a joke or shrug off the issue to remain chill, but she somehow manages to effortlessly see through his fascinated transparent expression and she carries genuine interest to discover what makes his heart swell with emotions.

And just with that possibility of gaining that imaginary idea, Gary gulps the bitterness to realise how foolish he is for constructing all of that in his head. Typically, women just label the bulky blond as a fit lad you find in a nightclub and spend the night with. Grown used to that lifestyle, he’s dated birds that are only ever with him because of the good sex and, even like that, the relationships never lasts. So, when thinking that someone as amazing as Chloe could ever find him as a considerable option for a serious relationship, the blue-eyed Islander shakes off the idea.

All of a sudden, guilt washes over the dark-haired woman, knowing that she’s partially at fault for encouraging her younger friend to put some effort on Marisol. Whilst she is positive that her advice would have resulted successfully for the pair, Chloe can’t help but feel terrible that it’s ended up like this, especially when she could tell that Gary was fully trusting of her judgement towards his issues and obeying any guidance given.

Reproaching such stupid advice from her part, her bright eyes lightly squint with anger and break away from Gary’s, lowering her troubled stare to their knees slightly touching.

“I should’ve never told you to try and work things out with Marisol. I-I’m so sorry, Gary,” the classy cellist apologises, her voice fainting into a whisper.

“Oi...” the crane operator gently whispers back, trying to grasp Chloe’s attention. Then, he lowers his comforting deep-set eyes to quickly find hers. “You’ve nothing to apologise for, sweetheart. You had good intentions and even if I hadn’t taken your advice, that wasn’t going to stop Marisol from pying me off,” Gary states, his deep voice vibrating perfectly out of his chest.

With Marisol in thought, the brawny lad recalls a couple of nights ago, when his current partner gossiped about the girls mentioning how much Chloe was fancying Lucas. It wasn’t an easy thing to listen to, especially when Gary had no other choice but to gulp his secretive liking for his mate’s partner and keep his cool when his confidence was gradually disintegrating. Followed by the recent memory of the Kiss and Tell Challenge, it was clear how buzzed the Asian man would get if he had the opportunity to get a peck out of the instrumentalist. Because of these thoughts, now it’s Gary who’s breaking eye contact and looking down as he shuffles his feet, like if he doesn’t know what to do or say afterwards.

Rather than using his usual loud voice that confidently thunders around the Villa, Gary quietly murmurs out a strained smile, “It’s nice to know you’ve got my back, but I reckon you prefer spending your evening with Lucas right now...” He trails off, reserved for a moment.

Luminous but gentle flames saturate colours across the blond’s pale face as his light eyes stay on the fire pit, never aware that what he’s said has captivated Chloe’s attention.

There’s no denying that the physical attraction is present between Chloe and Lucas, or that he’s absolutely her type to a tee. But still, this doesn’t remove the fluttering sensation that hugs her chest whilst sitting next to Gary, who is distinctively handsome but never the type she would go for. Even with the most minimal interactions, their connection is incomparable to their previous relationships and makes her wonder how she could possibly be feeling so much compassion and care for this man if they’ve only known each other for almost a week, let alone seeing someone with romantic eyes. It’s a feeling she’s grown reluctant of accepting and, though she tries to slap herself back into her senses, it’s like her body betrays her mind by instinctively taking the same hand she still has on his forearm and traveling her fingers down to the back of his big hand.

“I’m not going anywhere,” the cellist softly hums— a graceful melody to her angelic vocals, only for him to devour her sweet words.

Thinking it might be his imagination kicking in again, Gary lowers his bearded chin and views her fingertips tenderly grazing his rough knuckles; an affectionate gesture he could dangerously get too comfortable with. Without wasting a moment to kill the curiosity, Gary angles his head to the side and deeply inhales the caged knots in his chest, relishing the sight of her waiting to align an endearing gaze with him.

Ever since he talked about the spark with Chloe, it’s been rather difficult and distracting to figure out if the sensation that he’s been feeling with her is what she was trying to describe. He knows that she’s physically stunning with a magnetic personality and, despite there’s been all types of birds in his life, he’s never put this much thought into feeling the spark, or not until now. Never prepared for her attentiveness combined with foreign emotions swelling at the pit of his stomach, for once, he’s feeling completely stumped on what to do next. So, Gary relaxes a cheeky smirk over his lips and thinks of his skilled flirting as his coping mechanism.

“You know, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss we had in the challenge,” the blond Islander implies, teasingly.

Reluctant to display too much enjoyment towards the topic, the musician conceals a coy smile, not aware that the fire pit’s reflection enhances a sparkling golden glow to her eyes— she has no way to mask how enchanted she feels to be with her blond friend.

During the challenge, when it was Gary’s turn to read out loud his card, the one he selected was about a girl travelling to Thailand and performing as a pianist for a herd of rescued elephants. Something told the brawny bloke that it sounded exactly like a certain Londoner. Despite how random and weird the fact was listed, it perfectly fitted her personality, knowing it’s coming as a sweet and kind act of generosity.

Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t think that particular fact about her would be revealed. After knowing that she can also play the piano professionally, even Bobby was consistently trying to convince her that he has piano hands by modelling them for her.

With a nervous laugh airing out of her mouth, the petite woman arches an eyebrow and throws Gary an expectant look. “Hun, that was barely a kiss and part of the challenge might I add,” Chloe clarifies with a knowing smile revealing a glimpse of her cute dimples on each cheek.

After the boys had agreed on which of the girls to announce, Gary couldn’t contain his grin from stretching cheek-to-cheek when he made his way towards the poised brunette. As much as he would’ve liked getting a good snog, he anticipated that their kiss would remain short and polite, just like Chloe. Even if it was a whisk of shared air with barely any lip contact, the small second of their sampled mouths lingered a mutual desire to have experienced more. And, though the kiss didn’t mean much considering that it was done because of the challenge, there’s absolutely no voidance of that brief warmth that persisted on their mouths— all because of a mere peck. With this in thought, they’ve wondered how it would’ve been if they could’ve stayed there just a little longer.

Then, Gary begins to admire Chloe’s full lips, and he remembers how delicious of a flavour she had left on him. Because of this, he feels himself moving slightly closer to her and an impressively thick arm swings behind the cellist’s small frame, now resting on the surface of the bench’s back seat.

Not wanting to scare her off with a bold motion, he remains in his spot, still respective of their space, and confidently lays in his first move on the glamorous girl. Now at a closer proximity, it's easy to distinguish the expensive rose fragrance stamped on her skin and is positive that even her chocolate brown locks uniform the same floral scent. Looking at Chloe, there’s something about the way she stares back at him that provokes his heart to flutter up his throat. And, despite all the flirty and cheeky encounters he’s grown skilled at, the crane operator confesses that nothing can compare to what he’s feeling for this woman right now.

Flickering her lashes, Chloe is left momentarily dazed to see Gary’s wide frame leaning forward with a presumptuously attractive smirk tightly curled and creasing the corners of his pale mouth. The older brunette sits still for a moment as she tries to adapt to the flirtatious nature and doesn’t know if she can keep up with him. Physically, the blond exudes an impressive level of confidence Chloe has never seen before in any other man and, to many women, he could come across as a show-off, potentially labelling him as a major deal breaker but, for the classy cellist, she admittedly finds him more appealing because of this trait.

Whether the Chathamite is aware of it or not, he hasn’t done anything else other than move a little closer to her, simply making him more irresistible for her. With observant eyes, she starts going through every impeccable detail and facial line that traces his chiselled features. That is, until Chloe’s sight lowers more and lands on his kissable lips that begin flowing to the movement of words. It’s until now that the London beauty realises she has gone thoroughly numb when Gary’s is just inches away from hers. Ravishing chills scatter up her feeble spine to feel his minty breath thinly coat her face, inhaling each deep vocal that rolls out of his tongue.

“But we’re not doing a challenge tonight, now are we?” Gary murmurs, his deep voice rumbling with cleverness to his words.

His simple question causes Chloe to suck air in, captivated by how the blond’s mouth seems to be begging for her attention already. She instantly realises that he, too, is equally mesmerised by her plush lips. A swirl of mixed emotions clogs her soul to know that the same spiky-haired man she’s tried to deny any attraction for is centimetres away from brushing his lips across hers. Hating that her adamant mind and perplexed heart are clashing in another debate at the most inconvenient moment, the classy cellist has no other choice but to remain physically paralysed in conflict for a kiss she’s secretly been curious about and, even so, a tad embarrassed to leave the bearded bloke basically ready to initiate.

For a short second, trembling blue and hazel eyes lock with a muted yearn cycling between them, wondering who will be the one to close the breathless gap. Indecisive with his next move, Gary can’t remember at what point his cheekiness shed off his back muscles to view how uncomfortably stiff Chloe’s petite figure has gotten.

Next, he begins to think how much of a proper knob he is to think a stunning and posh girl like her would want anything to do with him when there are other fit blokes in the Villa. The blond should’ve known better than to make an imprudent move on Chloe, regardless of confessing about fancying her, it’s wrong of him to push whatever boundaries the Londoner desires to keep. Trailing off into a misunderstood assumption, the younger lad pulls back a bit to not make his friend feel more discomfort, but still physically close to her.

“I’m sorry, love. I... shouldn’t have done that,” he delivers a nervous chuckle. Unable to hide his disappointment in himself and towards the kiss he’ll continue to muse about, he thinks that it’s only fair to settle for the friendship he’s been trying to get used to.

No longer sensing the inviting warmth of Gary’s face near hers, Chloe squints the outer corners of her hazel eyes whilst panic pinches under her skin, realising she’s just given the blond man the wrong idea. Because of her stupidly indecisive self, she grows afraid of losing out on a rare opportunity to discover if what she feels for him isn’t a mistake.

Normally, Chloe’s not the type to kiss any bloke, because she likes to take things slow. And, remembering the first time stepping into Love Island, there wasn’t really any objective to search for a romantic partner, let alone fancying someone like Gary. But, as she sits here with him, her heart can’t stop twisting into knots. For once, the sophisticated brunette wants to drop the walls she’s felt so safe around and, also taking Dicky’s words from the rooftop terrace in strong consideration, she wants to give the blue-eyed man a chance to teach her to _trust_ again.

With an urge to dominate the nerves, Chloe exhales a sigh, overwhelmed at what she’s about to do. Setting aside wrongful regrets, it’s her turn to take initiative by carefully running her hand on the side of Gary’s face. Then, her slender fingers slowly trace the outline of his sharp cheekbone, sculpted handsomely on his complexion, soon making her way down to his robust jawline as she caresses his golden stubble; something that takes Gary’s breath away. Ending her passage under his strong chin, Chloe lingers her fingers there and tilts her head with naturally full lips sensually hovering over his.

Gary gulps his floating heart back in position to his chest and can’t ignore how his bulky muscles tighten with anticipation of their lips meeting. With the proximity, there’s an enjoyment to practically tasting her electrifying air and, although he doesn’t want to get impatient when she’s the one willing to step forward, the crane operator also doesn’t want to continue with the temptation she’s created. To some degree, he wonders if he’s just being teased and won’t ever receive, at least, a peck similar to the challenge; but here he will remain, completely still as he waits for her.

Finding a bit of pleasure delaying their kiss, Chloe uses the tip of her nose to graze it oh so provocatively against Gary’s. The friction of their skins makes the bearded lad mumble a soft but desperate groan, lowering his pale eyelids to hide the passion swimming around his sky-blue orbs. He only wants to focus on their noses still gliding until he hears her rich vocals orchestrating in his ears.

“Don’t be sorry,” she tells him, a faint whisper travelling on her tongue.

And just after those windy words, Chloe puckers her plush mouth and lands a gentle and sweet kiss, enough to determine if this is precisely what she’s been looking for during her stay in Love Island. The rush of excitement combusts as their lips refuse to detach, afraid of letting go of the fireworks tickling their stomachs. Unprepared to have received a pleasant response, an involuntary shiver sparks up the musician’s spine when Gary’s minty mouth starts following along with hers.

Tremors of ecstasy and fright scatter a numbness all over her skin; something the London beauty’s never felt before. Ecstasy to experience a kiss that she didn’t expect to feel so naturally attached to and because of this, the fright thickly shadows her mind, thinking how wrong and unrealistic it is to sense an overpowering connection with a man who’s practically a stranger. But, at the same time, the dark-haired woman doesn’t want to care and for once, embrace her recklessness if it means to continue feeling _alive_. 

The blond man smoothly works his way into taking the lead now as his strong hand cradles one side of her neck with his thumb positioned on her lower chin, adjusting the angle of their blissful moment. He wants to make sure he doesn’t waste her enthralled exhale when he’s here to generously devour Chloe’s oxygen; a precious opportunity the spiky-haired lad isn’t willing to give up so easily. And even if Gary feels like it’s a motion of greed on his part, there’s nothing else in mind but the want to consume her entirely and feed a blazing desire he’s had towards the older brunette. With parted lips and closed eyes, Gary slowly kisses her back, steady and careful to each sway of brushed adoration from his lips to hers. She tastes just like he’s imagined: mature like expensively rare wine but with a lovely contrast of pure sweetness that perfectly characterises her aesthetic.

Just when the crane operator wanted to take their snog a little further, he feels Chloe pull away to take a breather whilst his lips remain puckered and unknowingly gravitate to her direction. It takes a moment for Gary to recover from his dreamy look, his sky-blue eyes still carrying a heavy blur from the small kiss they’ve just shared. After a couple of blinks, he looks down to see the braided-haired girl travelling her sparkling dark pupils at each corner of his face and lands her enigmatic canary-coloured eyes on his. She sweetly smiles at the Kent native, a smile he’s never seen grace her lips before, not until now.

“Wow...” The younger blond lad utters a crooked smirk, still too amazed to say anything else but to feel the beating of his chest vibrate in his ears.

Leaning just enough to catch the masculine peppermint scent coming from the brawny man’s shirt, Chloe gifts him an appreciative smile and hums an amused giggle, never thinking she’d leave such a good impression on Gary.

Still sitting adjacent from each other, the petite Londoner playfully bumps her shoulder against his bicep and corners a grin. “Cat’s got your tongue?” she teasingly questions.

“Maybe you can help me with that,” the bearded man boldly replies.

Swiftly, their playful eyes get lost into a locked gaze full of giddiness and prioritise the concentration of their crave building up again. Kissing once isn’t enough, and this makes the pair intuitively draw their faces closer, missing the addictive warmth they had just shared. The chemistry has, without a question, been present between the two. Whether it’s through a short exchange of pleasant eyes, the easy-going banter, or the supportive chats they’ve reciprocated, it’s an interaction they have never expected to develop. And now after a proper sample of their mouths, chests bloom ardently to discover that these feelings are far more complicated than just fancying each other. It’s something indescribably special, something so fragile yet rousing.

With an uncontrollable crave clawing his insides, Gary inclines himself to the stunning hazel-eyed cellist and quickly finds his lips clashing with hers. Her hands so cautious and welcoming, Chloe cups the sides of his bearded face and angles her chin as she opens her mouth for him, ready to let this man thoroughly explore the wondrous chamber of unfiltered emotions. His golden stubbled jaw tickles under her slender fingers as he’s freely moving to the swim of their kiss. Despite how visibly rugged and powerfully-built the blond lad showcases himself, the butterflies in her stomach don’t fail to flutter when experiencing how remarkably sensitive the gliding of his mouth feels against hers. With each pleasant touch that eats up long seconds, Chloe savours a burly pale thumb thoughtfully soothing her sandy-beige skin, almost like he’s carefully registering the softness of her cheek in his memory and studies the unblemished structure of her high cheekbones.

Needless to mention, Gary is the best kisser the posh cellist has ever laid lips on. He owns a pair of delectable lips that can only be described as musky and rustic, a spice to his flavour she can’t seem to get enough of. And quite frankly, Chloe can’t lie to herself and say she hasn’t wondered what he’s like as a kisser, leaving her no room to declare any disappointment but that expectations have overflown into utter infatuation. The spiky-haired man knows how to make her feel _desired_ , like if she’s the only woman capable of drowning him with her regal intimacy.

Their heartfelt snog continues, and she senses a needy but firm grip on her curvy hips, drawing her into the warmth of his masculine wide frame now meeting with hers. This time, the brawny Islander wastes no time to pour out his feelings for her. Not as gentle as the first time, their kiss deepens and intensifies with tongues colliding in eagerness. Visualising the classy cellist as his creative canvas, each stroke and flick in her mouth is committed, colourful, expressive, and passionate— simply deserving of all attention.

After trying so hard to keep her composure whilst being smothered with the blond’s affection, a hummed sigh muffles in the older girl’s throat, finding no strength to combat against her vocalised pleasure. The combination of his hot lips resting on hers and his strong hands roaming up her arms completely dominates her, seeming as if Gary were to be Chloe’s sole weakness. And, knowing she’s become responsive to his effusive attention, it provokes the muscular lad to rumble out a baritone moan against her mouth, in utter disbelief that _he’s_ the one feeding her satisfaction for a rightful kiss.

His body heat balancing with hers motivates the blue-eyed man to confidently wrap his incredibly muscular arms around her tiny waist, linking perfectly between the two. It takes a moment for him to notice how his body easily swallows the London beauty’s shadow, yet makes sure she’s delicately held as if he’s cradling a rare and expensive gem. Next, adrenaline pumps through his veins whilst Chloe starts running her refined hands up his shoulders and silently asking him to come closer by gently pulling on the hem of his shirt. Feminine fingers create small fists when unconsciously gripping onto each side of the red flannel’s loose collar, clinging onto him to enjoy this moment. The hazel-eyed girl can only be thankful that she’s sitting down otherwise her upper body wouldn’t have been able to resist the feebleness originating from her knees.

Their snog doesn’t lose a beat with each fondle of tongues linking lovingly into puckered lips. However, this simply isn’t enough for Gary. Wanting far more from the luxurious musician, he finds her small wrist and draws her hand up to his chest, wanting her to understand that she’s making his heart heavily palpitate beneath his skin. Thrilling goosebumps rise and pinch through the bulky man’s grey shirt, leaving Chloe impacted to feel his emotions under her fingers. Keeping her hand on his broad chest, the dark-haired girl uses her other freed hand to glide wonderfully through the sides of his short blond hair, until she feels his lips release hers for a moment and smiles against her mouth. Then, he can’t help but humph out a short chuckle, leaving the classy cellist a tad puzzled.

A small smack sound is heard after Gary plants one last kiss on her puffy lips and shakes his head, still in his silly ponder. Chloe pulls away a little to see his reddened lips stretching into a large amused smile and blinks his light blue eyes over to her.

Finding his silenced humour peculiar, this makes the stunning woman raise a curious eyebrow and finds herself airing out contagious giggles herself. “What’s so funny?” Chloe questions, light-heartedly.

Unsure on what to tell her, Gary runs a hand down his face, uncertain to either give her a little white lie or tell her exactly what he’s thinking. He likes to think of himself as someone who says what he thinks without any hesitation, but considering that they’ve just had such a smashing first kiss, the blond lad doesn’t want to kill the mood. Despite this Chloe is clearly anticipating an answer as her entertained smile mirrors his.

With a reluctant sigh, Gary briefly scratches his thick dark eyebrow, internally praying that the graceful musician doesn’t take this the wrong way. “I dunno why but you sort of taste like... butter?” The crane operator confesses, his face scrunching up, unsure if it sounds too weird for her.

There’s only silence.

 _Ugh, you idiot,_ Gary scolds himself in his head.

Now, he begins to worry that he’s taken the wrong decision and might’ve hurt her feelings when firstly, it’s never his intention to make her feel bad and secondly, they were just enjoying each other’s company. Gary observes her speechless face whilst she blinks. Just when the brawny Chathamite is ready to spill out an apology, he’s now the one gobsmacked when Chloe throws her head back and starts laughing out her lungs.

Little does he know that the woman is finding all of this too comical, because she’s completely forgotten about casually eating her delicious slices of butter by the kitchen before heading over to chat with Marisol. Never had it crossed Chloe’s mind that she’d end up snogging up Gary at the fire pit, so her buttery breath was really the least of her worries. Very briefly, she rests her forehead on the blond’s shoulder as she continues to giggle out a bit of her embarrassment but finds the energy to lift her head to now hear Gary’s chuckling following along to her soft laughter.

“Why are _you_ laughing?” Gary asks, intrigued.

Eating butter isn’t a normal custom and considering Dicky’s disgusted reaction a couple days ago to see her eating up butter like if it was something sweet makes her believe that Gary will most likely attain a similar reaction. Part of her wants to just tell him that she finds enjoyment eating the condiment, but, after putting a bit of thought into it, Chloe decides to not give him any reasoning.

She shakes her head and pushes her fingertips over her smiling lips to fight the last bit of her amusement. “Oh, it’s nothing,” the poised instrumentalist replies and shrugs a nonchalant shoulder.

As a sceptical look shapes his masculine features, the husky Islander sneers an incredulous scoff with a playful smirk crinkling the outer edges of his eyes. “It’s clearly something and you don’t wanna tell me, trouble,” Gary teases and never notices when he starts running his hand behind her braided brown hair.

“That’s another story for another time, handsome,” Chloe responds, a wittingly smooth voice dancing with her words.

Not finding her answer helpful whatsoever, his mind starts throwing some random guesses on what she doesn’t want to reveal to him, but eventually gives up as it could be anything at this point. He leans his back against the cushioned bench and observes her intently to see if she breaks at any point. Impressed by her poker face ability, Gary can’t tell if this might be something she’s picked up from Jason or if it’s something she’s always been good at. Nonetheless, the blond lad tells himself that he’ll ultimately figure it out.

Sky-blue eyes admirably scan each sculpted detail on her stunning face. “A proper mystery, you are,” he says.

“That’s the only way to keep a man on his toes,” Chloe replies, cleverly.

Then, she leans over to gently press her lips on his golden beard, stamping an electric kiss on his pale skin. Taking advantage of their short silence, the older brunette props her hands on her covered knees and pushes herself off the shared bench. Not believing how side-tracked she’s gotten today, Chloe remembers that she originally wanted to check up on Minni and, assuming she might be getting ready to sleep, the bedroom will be her final stop before calling it a day. Even though a good chunk of her evening was advocating for her blue-eyed friends, the music performer still finds it necessary to search for Minni and see how she’s holding up. Ever since seeing the argument between her and her partner, it’s been undetermined as to where that poor girl has hidden to.

Looming in concerning thoughts towards Minni, Chloe stands with her natural elegance and smooths her pencil skirt before cornering her bright hazel eyes down to the sight of Gary looking back at her. “I’ll see you later?” She asks, gracefully.

Giving her a simple nod as his response, Gary can’t wipe that pleased grin off his face. He sees her smiling back before she turns around and watches her figure gradually disappear from the fire pit, now leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Skimming through the younger Chathamite’s experienced history of snogging all types of fit birds, Chloe is doubtlessly incomparable, and must he say, utterly majestic. Excitement is always normal when it comes to kissing a girl, no matter if it’s someone Gary just fancies or from one of his past relationships, but what’s felt with the posh musician is… different. No one’s ever taken his breath away the way she does, caressed his handsome face with tenderness like hers, or made him feel like it’s safe to give it his all, like if he’s somewhat worthy for the London girl’s ravish standards.

Feeling proper buzzed for kissing the posh bird in this same spot where he confessed to her this morning, this makes him shoot out a satisfied sigh and blankly stares at the luminous flames. The recent memory of their touch taunts his heart to leap in joy and is left completely starstruck with the beautiful experience he just had.

“Damn...” Gary mutters to himself.

**In the bedroom – Night-time.**

With another night coming to an end, some of the Islanders enter the bedroom whilst others have already switched into their sleep wear. It’s been a tense day for many and the situation involving Minni and Rocco is still a hot topic roaming around in whispers from some of the other couples that have already settled in their beds.

There’s a faint thud coming from a pair of stylish heels clicking against the floor and it’s Chloe who eventually arrives, quickly crossing the bedroom’s threshold. Wasting no time, her concerned hazel eyes immediately shift to Minerva’s bed in hopes to see her younger friend there but, instead, she catches sight of a man with curly auburn hair standing beside the bed. In complete disbelief of what she’s observing, the classy cellist watches how Rocco casually fluffs his pillow and throws his lean body over the bed as he preps his comfort.

Instinctively, the older brunette guides her legs towards the truck owner’s direction with a bothered pout already hanging at the corners of her mouth. She still can’t understand how this lad thinks it’s okay to still share a bed with Minni after what he’s done to her, or if he just expects the physics student to sleep on the couch or daybeds tonight. He’s either a complete idiot who doesn’t use his brain or is _that_ shameless to face his upset partner. No matter the reasoning, Chloe wants to make sure to fix this little mishap. It’s the least that she can do if the freckled girl isn’t around and can clearly be a sign of discomfort to face everyone.

Now standing beside the bed and on Rocco’s side with folded arms settled under her chest, he flickers a green eye open to distinguish a slim shadow blocking the ceiling’s bright lights. For a moment, he thinks it might be Minerva, but soon realises that the girl’s presence feels more formal and polished than what he’s accustomed to. Curious to know who it is that’s disrupting his peace, Rocco lifts his head and grows perturbed to view Dicky’s partner glaring her hazel eyes down at him and rapidly notices how outraged she is.

“You’ve got quite the cheek to think you’re sleeping on this bed, hm?” Chloe bitterly asks, her voice getting heavier at each word she exhales.

Even though he’s fully aware of what the posh Londoner is talking about, Rocco squirms his facial muscles with more confusion and shakes his head, unknowingly. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” he simply states.

Her shoulders stiffen to know this bloke is trying to pull the wool over her eyes and has the audacity to stare back at her with a guiltless look hovering over his face. Seeming almost convincing, these are probably the same deceiving green eyes that continued to lie to Minerva. Unable to compress her impatience, Chloe narrows her irked eyes down at the curly-haired lad and twitches her full lips into a larger pout.

Completely ignoring his nonsense response, the petite brunette hisses and wonders how her freckled friend even tolerated Rocco as a partner. “Get off the bed,” she commands.

He’s always known that Chloe’s quite a friendly and cultivated girl, but has never seen her this irate. It’s another side from the elegant musician that he doesn’t like at all and, in fact, she even stands with entitlement towards a situation she shouldn’t be involved in. With this in thought, the young man lowers his eyebrows and lazily sits up from his cosy side of the bed to respond.

“This has nothing to do with you so not until Minni comes back, I’ll talk to her,” the truck owner says as he rests his hands behind his head.

This sentence coming from Rocco is the first thing Dicky hears as soon as he enters the communal bedroom, just to see him and Chloe apparently tangled in an argument. Glaring from a short distance, the mechanic sits on his bed and forces himself to find out what they’re actually talking about before intervening. Jason has gotten so angry towards this lad that he knows he could mess things up badly if he acts without thinking, and also a part of him tells him that perhaps he should leave the conflict to be resolved between him and Minni, especially since she seemed to put Rocco in his place the right way. Dicky didn’t expect her to be able to stand up for herself like she did, but is glad she’s able to.

Despite this, he knows that she must be feeling like rubbish anyway, giving the embarrassment she went through for having fallen for her partner’s lies. For the first time since he entered the room, the brunet man takes a moment to scan the place and realises that Minni is actually nowhere to be seen, and she wasn’t in the second floor of the building either. Right after her discussion with her partner ended, Jason was sure he’d seen her enter the Villa, so he expected her to be here. This confuses him a bit, making his hands clench into fists the moment his gut tells him that something’s not right about her not being inside the Villa, which freezes him in place for a second.

No expecting to hear a sardonic chuckle escaping Chloe’s lips to distract him from his trail of thought, Dicky can clearly witness the satisfying image of Rocco shrinking his slim frame out of the sudden confrontation. “I’ll get involved all I want when I see how unfair my friend has been treated,” the classy woman firmly declares.

For a moment, the cellist realises that some of the other Islanders, including her current partner, are peeking their entertained stares over to her direction, but pushes the distraction away to focus on Rocco again. She’s not one to ever seek issues, fuel drama or be the centre of any attention, however, one thing Chloe can’t absolutely stand is lying and cheating, particularly when it’s not deserving of someone as kind as Minerva.

Stubborn and persistent to get the tanned man out from the bed, the musician forms a glare and sharply exhales through her nostrils. Despite how sophisticated and soft her voice usually is, it’s intimidating to hear how sharp tongued she is when enraged.

“You’re getting out of this bloody bed before Minni comes back. I reckon seeing your face before going to sleep is the last thing she has in mind,” she coldly instructs him.

A small glimpse is all it takes for Rocco to feel the Londoner’s pressure crawling up his back and, reluctantly, he swings his legs out of the mattress. As he’s grabbing a few of his belongings, a displeased mutter ticks his tongue and he turns over to the older Islander, “You’re being totally unfair, Chloe.”

Her golden eyes carefully vigilante Rocco’s every move with a hand resting on her hip. To anyone watching, it’s quite evident that she carries no remorse for the auburn-haired man, no one daring to interject into the chat. “Unfair is what you’ve done to that sweet girl. I’m not leaving until I see you walking out that door and towards the sofa. _Comprenez vous_?” She mocks back the French the young lad tried to impress her with before.

With his mind still feeling strangely fogged, Dicky angles to the view of his partner scolding and forcing Rocco out of bed whilst delicately folding his black leather jacket to keep himself busy, as he attempts to understand what his gut is trying to tell him. The mechanic has rarely found himself refraining from conflict before, less if it involves his friends or someone he cares about, but there’s something about this scenario that doesn’t sit right to him, so he can’t help but pile up his concerns in a deep ponder for the cobalt-eyed girl.

He can only bite his lip to remain focused enough to figure out why he can’t stop thinking about where Minerva could be and why he hasn’t seen her ever since she stormed out of the fire pit after the confrontation. Right now, the tall brunet begins to wonder if anyone has tried to actually check up on her, knowing for a fact that if someone else was in her situation, the Cambridge student would instantly go and make sure they’re doing okay.

Instead of seeing the physics student’s closest friends absent and possibly making her company wherever she is right now, the raven-haired man notices that Chloe is doing her best to shoo Rocco away, which is actually refreshing and is certainly a good call on her end, and Bobby is settling down on his bed next to Lottie, both whispering to one another and throwing small curious glances at the arguing pair. If none of them is with Minni, Dicky can only guess that she must be all alone somewhere in the Villa.

“What’s going on?” A familiar deep voice cuts in the middle of Jason’s thinking and makes his head look down to catch sight of golden spiky locks, noticing it’s Gary standing beside him.

When trying to hide the fact that concern is rapidly building up at the pit of his stomach and that he can’t stop thinking of Minni’s whereabouts, the older lad lifts his dark eyebrow and decides to engage into a short conversation with his best mate. Perhaps he’s just overthinking all of this, the mechanic reckons, and Minni will appear soon through the bedroom’s door wearing her star-patterned pyjamas and sporting her usual bubbly smile on her freckled face.

“Oh, your bird is giving Rocco a bit of what he deserves,” Dicky absently responds to Gary, more to distract himself than because he thinks his mate needs the information. “Was gonna do it myself but…” the raven-haired man mumbles without much thought, but ends up just letting out a stressed breath when he realizes that his thoughts are trailing off again.

Just then, Jason regains some clarity to properly analyse what has happened today. When he goes way back to the challenge that uncovered what Rocco was doing behind the blue-eyed girl’s back, the older Chathamite recalls Minerva not looking bothered at all by watching her partner evidently treading on her toes. After all, he now knows that the agreement he presumed she and Rocco made is non-existent, and that the lad literally went and snogged Marisol without warning. But, if the source of Minni’s anger was the fact that her partner lied to her, why didn’t she confront him during the challenge, just like she did at the fire pit afterwards?

The moment the brunet man associates this with the exceeding amount of rage coming from the physics student, an eerie realisation dawns on him. The only explanation to why Minerva didn’t react instantly to Rocco’s offense is because she was pretending to be fine all along but ended up being incapable of holding her outrage any longer. And, Dicky inevitably wonders if she has been pretending to be okay like that in other tense or embarrassing situations.

With this in mind, Minni’s special personality and way of carrying herself now make more sense to the mechanic. Ever since he met her, he has been asking himself why she doesn’t get affected by all the drama that is present in the Villa and how is she always able to keep a smile on her face, questioning if she even has the capability to feel sad or angry, or to be truly rude towards someone. No matter what the situation was, the freckled student maintained her composure and, on top of it, was the voice that called sense to the Islanders who were about to initiate an argument. And in addition to that, she was also the one who kept company to whoever needed it at that moment. Maybe, Minerva was hiding her troubles and unwanted emotions all along, plus subconsciously being there for the rest of the Islanders; something she wishes people would do for her.

This is why, the hazel-eyed man figures out, she just _exploded_ at Rocco deceptively out of the blue. The feelings that she was expressing weren’t just the frustration, rage and embarrassment of being played by him, but also all of the other emotions she stored inside in order to keep a happy face and be the support the rest needed her to be. The thought of Minerva encaging herself like this hurts Dicky on a deep level; it hurts him knowing that she’s so emotionally intelligent yet holds back and hides so many bad emotions inside her just for the sake of not showing them.

A tight knot forms in Jason’s throat as he comes to hate that the joke he made the first day he met Minni turned out to be true— _there is_ something hidden in her character, there is more in her than just a bubbly, happy-go-lucky science nerd, and he now wonders how many people have looked past this and how many people will look past it in the future. But now that he knows, he’s rapidly resolute and determined on not letting it happen again.

Not noticing that Dicky is behaving oddly and that he has practically zoned out because he got completely distracted by having him referring to Chloe as his bird, Gary curls a chuffed grin. He can’t hide how excited he is to tell his best mate what just occurred at the fire pit. “Bruv, you wouldn’t believe what’s happened between me and Chloe over at the—” the blue-eyed man cuts his words short once he turns his head to the side and, all of the sudden, doesn’t see his friend nearby. “Dicky...?” he calls out then, skimming his surroundings.

Instead, it’s the subtle sound of the bedroom’s door opening that grasps his attention and he’s able to catch a flashed sight of the Kent mechanic’s tall shadow stepping outside. Too busy looking over at Rocco practically getting kicked out of the bedroom, the crane operator never felt that his mate actually lightly patted his broad shoulder before leaving, as if he was letting him know he was heading outside. Not finding Dicky’s departure too strange, Gary gently shrugs and defaults to the assumption that his mate was probably in the need of a late-night cigarette.

**At the daybeds – Night-time.[ **♬**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutC3xoAjo4)**

The slight wind of the night causes goosebumps on Jason’s skin as soon as he gets out of the communal bedroom. Whereas he takes determined footsteps, his deep green eyes scan the Villa’s lawn, trying to figure out where Minni is. He doesn’t see her in the kitchen, neither in the bean bags nor in the swinging chair. The dark-haired man’s frown deepens as he takes a long, concerned inhale, the cool temperature of the air filling his lungs at a slow pace.

He’s about to give up when his gaze lands on the daybeds and manages to catch the glimpse of a shiny object briefly peeking over one of the mattresses— her sunglasses. She must be sitting on the deck beside one of the beds, hiding from the sight of both the roof terrace and the communal bedroom, he realises. Without thinking it twice, Dicky starts walking in her direction.

Still attempting to hide from the rest of the Islanders, Minerva keeps her legs tightly crossed in front of her and places her shaky hands over her lap. Her eyelids, adorned with glittery eyeshadow, open and close slowly, in a useless fight for not shedding tears. Regardless of her great ability to bottle up emotions and put on a happy face instead, she simply can’t do it this time. The younger brunette reckons there’ve been few moments in her life in which she’s been exposed to this much stress, and less times when she’s hit a breaking point this fast.

The naïve blue-eyed girl has never been betrayed or lied to the way Rocco did. She’s never been played by a partner, and finding out the truth and having to scold him in front of everyone ended up opening all the small boxes she has in the back of her head; the ones she uses to store her frustrations, sorrow and rage. On the outside, she would deal with something like this by avoiding thinking about it, by ignoring its existence and try to replace it with joy and pleasure instead. But in the Villa, there’s no limitless alcohol to get drunk with, no friends she can call to party, no endless uni papers to review, and there’s also no way she can go back to the bedroom to retrieve her pack of cigarettes. Minerva doesn’t know how to deal with negative emotions if it doesn’t mean to just distract herself until she’s collected enough to store them back in, so now that they’re out and all over the place she has no idea what to do. This led her to seclude herself so nobody can see her feeling like this, because she’s also so ashamed of the state of sadness she is in right now.

Although Dicky is mainly quiet, his heavy footsteps being heard as he gets close are what give Minni time to notice his presence, but not enough to manage to compose herself and convincingly pretend she’s alright. She was sure nobody was going to come after her, or at least that they would give up when they saw she was nowhere to be seen.

She doesn’t want to see Dicky’s reaction when he catches her looking plain miserable and evidently using the daybed to shield herself from everyone’s line of vision. This gives her the strong urge to turn her face to the opposite side of where he’s coming from, to avoid staring at him. Despite this, the brunette takes a quick breath and blinks away the faint angry tears that were caught in her cobalt orbs, telling herself that he will probably just throw a mocking joke about how sad she looks and then go back to where he came from. Now, the blue-eyed girl hopes it happens quickly so she can be alone again.

Instead of having him deliver a sarcastic chuckle or a mean one-liner, all that meets Minni’s ears is the creaking of the daybed once he sits on the mattress, right next to her. Then, she just sees him looking down at her, without any trace of his usual frown or scornful smirk. She can’t quite read his expression as of now, but there’s surely something about him that looks _different_.

Trying not to give away how much it genuinely preoccupies Dicky to see the young woman sitting all alone cross-legged on the floor, he stays still, just resting his gaze on her. Needless to say, he doesn’t even know how to start the conversation, how to let her know that _he cares_. At first, he thinks of suggesting her to sit next to him, but his vocal chords refuse to cooperate and his throat tightens the moment he sees Minerva quickly avoiding his eyes in a useless attempt to not show any signs of unhappiness. More than seeing her being upset, what hurts Jason the most is having to witness her attempts of burying her sadness deep within to further convince him that she’s feeling well.

Even though the mechanic’s chest aches from nervousness, after a while he finds a way to start speaking. “I reckon you’d rather have Chloe or my mate Gary making you company, but she’s moving Rocco out from your bed and, well, Gary’s just playing it cool,” he begins, his voice almost imperceptibly more tender than usual and surely more hesitant. “I, um… I didn’t want you to be alone anyway, so here I am in case you’d like to… talk.”

The odd tentativeness of his demeanour takes Minni by surprise. Whereas the physics student looks up at his large frame, that casts a slim shadow over her thanks to the moonlight and small fairy lights, she asks herself if she didn’t mistake this man for someone else since being this attentive is surely not something she ever pictured Dicky doing. Although, maybe, he’s just doing it because she made him company this morning when he was evidently feeling down; perhaps Jason is just returning the favour.

Doing her best to look put together, Minerva stands up and dusts off the shimmery fabric of her pants. “Thanks, Jason, but I’m fine now, really. I just needed some alone time,” she responds with a quiet tone, slightly shaky. After that, she smiles.

It unsettles Dicky how convincing and real that smile appears to be. Now that he figured out the way Minni deals with things, he can read her like an open book, so despite having the freckled girl’s behaviour being so bloody believable, something inside his mind flares up in red colour and tells his gut feeling not to get persuaded by that pretty face and shiny eyes.

“You can’t fool me, sugar,” he replies, maintaining his tender approach. “I know you’re still upset.”

Right after processing his words, all Minni wants to do is to _escape_. The fact that her cover has been blown, the fact that Dicky knows how she really feels and it genuinely scares her. There has always been this small voice in the back of her head that she’s not quite conscious of, but that tells her people won’t want to be near her anymore if she is in a bad mood. That people will leave her if they catch her feeling down or if she is anything less than happy, she will be left out. That most of her worth is her natural bubbly and chill character, and that without it she’s practically nothing.

The Chathamite’s heart skips a beat the moment he sees Minerva’s smile vanish as fast as it appeared. By the way her body stiffens, he realises how much it urges her to get out of there, perhaps to hide elsewhere, but he’s not willing to leave her alone when she’s this distressed. Now, Jason feels like he’s dealing with a small scared puppy.

“Stay,” he simply says, then.

There’s no explanation on why the brunet man’s husky and calm voice is capable of immediately snapping the blue-eyed girl out of her fight-or-fly state of mind. Still, she remains frozen in place, impressed by how he was able to find out that the only thing she was thinking of is how much she wanted to leave the daybeds area.

When Dicky sees her hesitate, he decides to gently pat the empty space beside him to further his statement. With this simple gesture, he manages to make Minni consider his request. He intently observes her frantic cobalt irises move back and forth between him and the mattress, until her paralysed and tense facial muscles relax a bit. Just then, the mechanic remembers to let out the breath that got caught in his lungs whilst he waited for any kind of response from her end.

A trembling sigh escapes the young woman’s lips as she guardedly takes a seat next to Jason. Between the waves of discontent and anger that keep fogging her mind, she fixes her sight on her lap, her small and pale hands resting on top of it. It doesn’t take much for the astrophysics student to notice that the man beside her has stopped looking at her altogether and has chosen to direct his piercing green eyes towards his black shoes, like if he is almost mirroring her position to make her feel comfortable.

Maintaining the silence, the brunet man does his best to keep his distance so as to not overwhelm Minerva. Even if Dicky can come across as brash and impulsive, when he truly commits to something, he can extend his patience beyond what anyone could expect from him. Right now, he’s willing to stay here for Minni for as long as she needs, until she finds a way to communicate with him and lets out at least some of the palpable tension that stiffens her petite frame. However, the freckled girl just stays as quiet as him, not moving in the slightest.

“You bottle up a lot, don’t you?” Jason comments in a hushed voice, evidently trying to get her attention.

Instantly, Minni’s body language gets even more defensive. She mentally closes off to Dicky like he’s never seen her before, turning to face away from him. And, although the brunette girl doesn’t want to make the Chathamite think he’s doing something wrong or making her feel uneasy, she can’t help but to react this way when she notices that he most definitely hit the mark.

“W-What do you mean?” The young woman asks softly.

Now positively attempting to meet her eyes, the mechanic leans forward and places his elbows over his big thighs. From this angle, he can almost see all of Minerva’s delicate face, which is enough for him to get an idea of how she must be feeling right now. Still, there’s just small hints he can detect, like the way her pink lips are forming a pout or how the corners of her eyebrows are almost imperceptibly turned down. It aches him to see her gathering all of her frustration and keeping it to herself when she doesn’t have to, something that actually causes his lungs to struggle when taking a deep breath.

“You hold back because you don’t like people to see you upset, and that builds up until you eventually hit a breaking point,” Dicky declares with conviction.

Not knowing how to respond to his accurate statement, Minni’s eyes blink whereas her gaze is glued towards some point near the swimming pool, her pupils staring at the emptiness. All she can process right now is that if she denies what Jason is saying, she will only feel more embarrassed because it will be somewhat of a cheap escape. She simply can’t lie to him, less when he clearly knows what’s happening. Certainly, the blue-eyed girl reckons that she has never encountered someone who can read her this easily this soon, less someone who doesn’t fall for the artificial happy expressions she puts on when she’s having a hard time, and doesn’t know whether that should scare her away or not.

“Am I that evident?” The physics student asks with disappointment, after a brief silence.

“Actually, no. I’m just good at reading people. You were a hard one to figure out, if I’m honest,” the brunet man replies, assured. His voice is firm and he continues to try and meet her ocean eyes as he speaks. Then, one of the corners of his mouth rises in an effort to form a comforting smile and in order to anticipate some banter, “I almost thought you were unable to feel negative emotions.”

His last phrase surely reassures Minni, indirectly letting her know that her secret is safe with him. A genuine but still too small smile shapes her lips then, her irises timidly gaining some light back. This same shy smile and cobalt eyes turn to meet Dicky’s classic crooked smirk, and all of the sudden the freckled girl starts feeling like something has changed, even though she has no idea exactly what. She’s definitely sure that she never expected to be in this situation with none other than the grumpy mechanic; the Cantabrigian didn’t know he had _this_ inside of him.

Once the raven-haired man has Minerva finally looking at him again, he has the sensation that part of his soul came back to his body. For a moment, she seemed to be so closed off that he thought he would never get her talking again. Despite that, he was not remotely close to giving up yet, less now that he got her to _smile_ — Jason couldn’t feel prouder of himself.

“Come on, you can tell me how you really feel,” he encourages, staying in the same leaned forward position so he can see her better.

Recognising that she can trust him and in need to let some emotions out, the brunette girl doesn’t avoid eye contact despite noticing that her eyes are beginning to fill with tears in the anticipation of having to express herself. After delivering another trembly sigh, she starts to explain, “I’m so embarrassed, Dicky. I feel like an absolute mug knowing that he played with my emotions and with my trust. He made me look like an idiot in front of everyone.” Minni lowers her gaze whilst pausing for a second to swallow all of her angry tears, “I wasted so much time reassuring him when he was gladly grafting on other girls and then coming back to me saying that I was the only one he wanted. I didn’t like him that much, but… he made me feel special. It was all a lie and I fell for it.”

With the blink of an eye, a pair of stray tears are already sliding down her freckled cheeks. The sight of her tearing up for something that she didn’t deserve to experience crushes Jason’s heart. Not knowing what else to do to comfort her, since this is the first time he finds himself in a scenario like this, he places a hand on her back the same way in which she did this afternoon, when he was brooding while lying on this same daybed.

Minerva visibly relaxes a little when his thumb begins to draw small circles over her skin, her body getting covered in unanticipated goosebumps straight away. She never imagined what Dicky’s touch could feel like, and she’s impressed by how warm and soothing it is despite the fact that he’s known for having a cold and distant character. Closing her eyes so as to not allow her tears to fall, the physics student sinks in the contact of his big hand and her uncovered skin, her shoulders slumping down as she does so.

Unexpectedly, Jason’s hand tenses at the realisation that some of the naiveness and simple way in which Minni tends to receive and accept people has probably faded after having been played. This makes the Chatham mechanic want to restore whatever is left of her ingenuous perspective, until he concludes that perhaps it’s for the best.

“Mate, you were coupled up with him just for three days—”

“Ugh, you’re such an asshole,” she mumbles whilst she immediately slides to put some more distance between them.

Not believing what she just heard Dicky saying, Minerva’s fuelled irritation comes back immediately. Annoyed by having his unfiltered declaration ruin their brief moment of peace, she pushes his hand away.

“Hey, let me finish,” the brunet man urges, getting closer to her. As gentle as possible, he puts his hands on her shoulders to make her look at him, trustworthiness always so present in his eyes. He’s not sure if it’s a good idea to invade Minerva’s personal space after making her angry, but he doesn’t know how else to get her to focus on him. “What I was trying to say, before you _kindly_ interrupted me,” he continues, exaggerating a fake glare towards her to lighten the mood and let her know that he didn’t mean to come across as if he was disregarding her feelings. “Is that, luckily, you wasted barely three days of your life with him and that’s it. Three days he didn’t deserve, by the way, because he didn’t appreciate you enough to be honest with you,” the mechanic follows up, moving his hands from her shoulders to cup her cheeks.

In this moment and when pronouncing these words, Dicky realises that most people take Minni for granted. It’s like a stab in the stomach for him to recognise that few of the Islanders are willing to give back the comfort and company she gives away without asking for something in return. However, even if she probably will never see him as more than a friend, the hazel-eyed man is sure that he’ll be there for her when she needs a shoulder to cry on, so she doesn’t have to hide again whenever she’s upset or ashamed of showing her true emotions. It’s the least he can do for someone who is there for everyone and especially for him, for someone who has involuntarily made him feel things he never thought he’d feel towards a bird.

“Rocco didn’t deserve your affection, or your sweet gestures, less those nice little compliments you throw around or that lovely smile of yours, and surely he doesn’t deserve your tears either,” Jason continues, still cupping her face between his hands and using his thumbs to clumsily wipe away the couple of tears that fell from her cobalt eyes. He’s aware that he’s fully venting his crush on her, but he couldn’t care less at this point. If those words make her feel better, he will say them with a confident and clear voice even if he could end up embarrassing himself afterwards, “What he did deserve was that scolding you gave him earlier. I didn’t expect you to have that in you, sunshine, but I’m glad you do because I’d hate to see someone stepping on your toes and not receiving something in return.”

Although hearing Dicky reassure her with such a confident attitude makes her feel a completely unexpected tugging sensation, Minni is still drowning in all the negative emotions she stored throughout the entire Rocco situation. Now that her anger has disappeared, sadness is all she can exteriorise at this point, feeling some kind of exhaustion. A soft sob gets out of her mouth before she is able to stare back at the mechanic for more than a couple of seconds. Just then, she manages to smile faintly through her watery eyes.

“I can be mean when I want to,” the young woman banters, her lips quivering a bit as she tries to pronounce properly.

“I saw it. That bloke was quite intimidated, if you ask me,” Jason plays along, raising a knowing eyebrow.

Just then, he tentatively lets go of her face, in hopes that things won’t become awkward between them after his outburst of sincerity that showed her exactly what he thinks of her— how he feels for her. Despite this, the brunette girl seems to be currently lost in her own running thoughts. She barely looks back at him as she dries the remaining tears that were caught in her eyelashes with the back of her fingers. Not in a million years has Jason thought he’d see Minerva this upset, and he understands that this is not because she liked Rocco, but rather because she’s still utterly embarrassed by what happened. And on top of that, she probably has been bottling up all the murky emotions that come along with the Villa’s drama and her own problems since pretty much the beginning of the show. The raven-haired man is only seeing the build-up of all of that, her buried tension desperately surfacing to free itself.

Dicky is just trying to figure out why someone who seems so emotionally intelligent is doing this to herself when Minni’s sigh and fragile vocals pull him out of his thoughts. “I feel so stupid, Jason. This is the first time someone has failed me like this,” the blue-eyed girl murmurs, her throat strained as she once more tries to uselessly conceal her sadness. “Maybe if I wouldn’t have been so blind and dumb to belie—”

In the instant when Dicky notices that she’s blaming herself for not noticing Rocco’s game sooner, he interrupts her by engulfing her petite frame with his arms, like if he could shield her from all of those horrible thoughts. Once he is completely wrapped around Minni, he realises that this comforting hug was delivered by pure instinct, a fast gut reaction, and now he has no other option but to stick with it. With his heart pumping fast inside his chest and hoping he didn’t mess up, the older Chathamite stays still after subconsciously bringing her even closer. He doesn’t do anything until he feels Minerva relaxing against his chest, and then a pair of slender hands shyly sliding up his back, finally accepting his sudden hug.

How soft her body feels between his arms and how small she appears to be while pressed against his chest only increases the hazel-eyed man’s heart rate. That familiar fuzzy feeling and warmth creeping up his torso makes him almost forget that he’s not in an ideal situation to be feeling like this.

Having the sensation that her body is practically melting between the brunet man’s arms, now Minni realises that this is exactly what she needed. She needed physical comfort as well as reassuring words, she needed someone to stubbornly stay with her even if she did everything to look put together; she needed someone to be present and just _hold her_ whilst she struggled to express herself. Considering this, the physics student doesn’t know how Dicky managed to find out precisely that when she didn’t know it herself.

Minerva closes her eyes and buries her face onto him, her button nose immediately catching whiffs of his scent. Jason smells like pines and cedarwood, earthy like his grounded character. He carries an almost mysterious fragrance but that’s also hard to miss and the young woman has the need to just sink into the cocoon he’s created around her. However, as much as she tries to distract herself with that thought and attempts to push away the memories of what happened this evening, Minni’s real tears are still trapped in the corners of her eyes and she can’t help but finally let go as soon as she feels completely comfortable and protected in Dicky’s hug.

Too tired to keep holding back, the freckled girl sniffs quietly against the Chathamite’s shirt and breaks into disappointed tears. She can feel him immediately tightening the hug, a faint inhale trapped in his throat. When noticing that she still has embarrassment and frustration brewing inside of her, the mechanic doesn’t even know whether he’s doing a good job on comforting her or not. He begins to question himself, but his own trail of thought gets cut short by the realisation of how bloody quiet her crying is. There’s only small sobs being audible enough for him to hear and that’s considering Jason is tightly pressed against her. If he was a few inches away and wasn’t aware of what happened, the brunet man couldn’t have guessed that there are tears falling from her eyes.

Amongst all the accurate conclusions regarding Minni that Dicky has come up with tonight, this might be the most revealing and concerning one. Her way of crying is so naturally silent that he knows _she’s used to it_. This girl, who’s always so happy and playful, who is always ready to party or be part of some shenanigan, is so afraid of having other people see her upset that she somehow mastered the ability to cry as quietly as possible so nobody can notice when she’s having a bad time. During this conversation, she had let a couple of tears fall at most, but in this moment she’s exteriorising everything at once, which leads the brunet man to think that, perhaps, after all his attempts to make her feel better, she’s just got to a point of trusting him enough to be this vulnerable in front of him.

All of the sudden, Minerva’s turmoil gets interrupted by Jason placing a soothing hand on the back of her head. As soon as his large fingers intertwine with her silky locks, she feels a shiver running down her back.

“None of this is your fault,” the mechanic starts speaking, breaking the silence. Not losing his tough and determined character, he protectively places his chin on top of the young woman’s head, his usual frown shaping his eyebrows and lips, “It’s his loss, sugar. Believe me, it is. That twat just lost the catch of his life, I’m telling you.”

Although the blue-eyed girl would like to just enjoy how calming it feels to have Dicky touching her like this and saying kind words, short sentences that she never expected to hear coming out of his mouth, she can’t avoid being abruptly confused when his voice pulls her out of her murky thoughts and she gets to process the situation she is in.

Minni can’t come up with a proper explanation on why the most dismissive, crankiest and indifferent man in the entire Villa is still here, doing everything he can to make her feel better. It would be more logical and according to his personality to tell her that she was plain dumb for trusting Rocco too soon but, instead, the raven-haired man has said some of the nicest things the physics student has ever heard about herself, and she can’t quite believe it. There hasn’t been a single eye roll or mocking reply coming from Dicky, and he’s not shielding himself with his permanent poker face anymore. In this instant, the brunette has no idea if he’s just returning her the favour of comforting him this morning, or if he’s doing it because Minerva is one of Chloe’s and Gary’s friends; she can’t discern if he’s doing it _for her_ or if there’s even something else that she can’t see or doesn’t know of. Despite her perplexed take on this, Minni can’t deny that being like this, between Jason’s arms makes her feel like she belongs here somehow. Right now, she wants to stay here for as long as possible.

Hesitantly, the freckled student looks up to meet his concerned gaze. Instantly, she sees his tough and masculine features staring back at her: his square jaw covered by raven stubble, his full lips and narrow nose, his thick eyebrows, the left one with a sharp cut crossing it, his always dishevelled dark hair and those deep green-hazel eyes fixed on hers. The way in which he is looking at her has a gentle manner to it, something so unlike Dicky. After that, Minni notices that he has looked at her like this before and not just since he arrived at the daybeds area tonight, but during their previous chats too. The Cambridge student’s eidetic memory helps her vividly recall those same green eyes briefly staring at her just like this when they talked in the lounge chairs a couple of days ago, then scanning her up and down later that same day when they hung out in the bean bags, and then taking their time to linger a little longer during her usual star-talks at breakfast in the next days. Struck by this realisation, Minni wonders why she never noticed the special way in which he pays attention to her.

With fireworks suddenly building inside her chest, Minerva blinks a couple of times— she can almost sense her own pupils dilating at the sight of Jason. She perceives the same kind of _different_ that she felt when he first sat on the mattress, when he looked down at her with that exact gaze. There’s something she’s found inside this man that she can’t pinpoint as of now, but it unexpectedly makes her stomach flutter and her limbs turn to jelly, a thing that rarely happens to her since she’s mostly immune to common men’s charms. As the young woman sinks into his irises and completely bewildered for a moment, the rest of the Villa dissolves, leaving only the cold breeze stroking her skin and the faint illumination of the fairy lights to try and distract her from her focus. Knowing what all of this means, Minni stays still and allows herself to experience the pulling attraction that comes afterwards, an inevitable spark she never thought she could develop for someone whose heart is so reserved and whose strong character contrasts so much with hers.

The fascinating moment is cut short by a wave of guilt washing all over the blue-eyed girl. As soon as she remembers that Dicky is Chloe’s partner and that the two of them definitely have a strong relationship, Minerva can’t help but feel like the worst friend in the entire planet. The fact that merely two days ago the physics student was babbling about how good of a match they are and now she’s feeling a spark that is certainly not corresponded, ends up plummeting her into further embarrassment and disappointment.

In a rushed attempt to push aside the idea of seeing the mechanic as more than a friend, the brunette girl’s cobalt eyes rapidly avoid his and land onto the first thing that gets her attention, which is the evident wet stain of tears that she left on his shirt. There’s also bright glitter trails on top of it, the sparkles that adorned her eyes stuck on the fabric in the left side of his chest, right where his heart is supposed to be.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, breaking the hug. Not knowing what to do, Minni brings one of her delicate hands towards his chest, like if she was planning on using her fingers to try and remove the glitter, but then thinks it twice and finally lets it fall onto her lap.

Instantly, Dicky notices that she’s gotten unpredictably nervous and that she’s attempting to put distance between them. Without thinking it twice, the man decides to play it cool and give her the space that she is silently asking for. Then, he chooses to follow along with some banter. “Bloody hell, you’ve ruined one of my favourite shirts,” he grumbles right after briefly looking down at his shirt. He raises his slit eyebrow in obvious fake irritation and squints his eyes playfully at her, which causes Minerva to let out a shy giggle. Jason takes a second to simply enjoy the light-hearted sound that he pulled out of her with his attitude, whereas he fights off a smile, “You’ll have to buy me a new one once we’re out of here.”

“In your dreams, Emsworth,” the young woman is fast to reply with a smirk, clearly feeling better despite the uneasiness of realising that she's started to fancy Dicky, which she managed to bottle up. She has no idea how she will be able to keep it locked and hidden until it goes away, or if it will hurt her from now on to see him and his partner getting progressively more comfortable with each other. She’s only sure that she will have to tell Chloe sooner or later, or else guilt will probably eat her insides.

While Minni distracts herself by rubbing her puffy eyelids, the raven-haired man steadies his eyes on her once more. He sees her shakily drying her damp cheekbones, freckled and rosy cheeks covered in dripped glitter and sparkles— Jason reckons that only Minni could appear to cry smudged glitter tears and still look messily beautiful. And, even though they’re evident remaining of all the sadness she went through tonight, those leftover tears also mean that she was able to let some of her emotions out, something that is a complete win in the dark-haired Chathamite’s books.

After this, the mechanic can see that she is more collected, as all the negative aura surrounding her has disappeared. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed by pushing the topic further or asking more questions, Dicky understands that this is the end of their chat and hopes that Minerva feels completely better after having a deserved rest.

Determined, the brunet man stands up and speaks. “Come on, let’s get inside. You need a good night’s sleep after everything that’s happened today,” he says, straightening his back onto his tall posture. “You’ll feel better in the morning. And if you don’t, I guess I could let you ruin another one of my shirts.”

Despite seeing his poker face making a comeback, Minerva can see the shadow of a smirk on his lips, his mean yet carefree banter bringing butterflies to her stomach. Dicky extends his large hand for her to take and the young woman momentarily identifies that newfound softness in his green eyes, the one he is trying to conceal whereas he waits for her to accept his offer.

Tentatively, Minni takes his warm hand and lets him pull her upwards into a standing position. The blue-eyed girl tells herself that she shouldn’t be enjoying physical contact with his skin as much as she does, but at the same time, she can’t stop thinking of the strong spark that built up seemingly out of nowhere and without warning. The more she thinks about it, the more she finds herself having unforeseen dreamy sensations about Jason, especially when meeting his eyes for a brief second and feeling his lingering cedarwood scent on the tip of her nose. She is aware that she will have to do something about it eventually but for now, all she can do is ask herself why didn’t she meet someone like him sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it, folks! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as it was a joy to write it 💛Please let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below and share your thoughts. We love hearing from everyone haha 
> 
> Until next time, you guys have a great day and Happy November! 🍂🍁


	10. Day 7 - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amongst all the scenarios the Cambridge student expected to be in when confessing her crush on Dicky, she never imagined it to be this early and have the first person to know being none other than Chloe herself. The thought that she could potentially lose her friend because of her abrupt attraction towards the tall mechanic makes Minerva’s insides twist and it carries so much tension that she can’t help not knowing how to disguise it properly. She’s sure the elegant woman is not a judgemental person, less a resentful one, but anyone would get rubbed the wrong way if a friend suddenly develops a liking towards their partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, beautiful people*:･ﾟ☆ we're back at it again with a new chapter! as always, we're very excited to share this story with you and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy writing it. it's been a pleasure to share ideas and collaborate with my amazing co-author to bring this story to you guys, and we can't wait for you to see what's next :3 also, a huge huge thank you for the people that continue to follow this story✿ you guys are amazing!  
> -cassiahalley

**Day 7**

**Part 1.**

**In the bedroom – Morning.**

“Ugh, for heaven’s sake, Dicky!” Chloe exclaims whilst desperately squirming out of the duvet and rapidly hops off the bed.

Just a few seconds ago, simmering lights illuminated the communal bedroom, making a few Islanders shift under their bedsheets. Despite the burst of brightness welcoming everyone to start their day, it didn’t disrupt the snores harmonising between a few of the boys. One of them indisputably being Dicky, who was unconsciously inhaling a generous amount of oxygen and snarling out grotesque snores.

Disturbed by this, Chloe angled her eyes over her shoulder to view the tall Chathamite with dishevelled raven locks pointing at all directions, messy dark eyebrows scrunched together, and his stubbled chin quivering each time he was about to release yet another one of his grunts. Finding him quite obnoxious, the braided brunette just wrinkled her slumbered face and then sat up. Mistakenly, she placed her hand on the wrongful side of the sheets, instantly feeling a small damp circle of Dicky’s night saliva; now, the tips of her delicate fingers are slightly wet.

Right after yelling at her partner, Chloe instinctively jerks her hand away from the mattress and whimpers out a soft yelp. Not receiving much of a response from him other than an aggravated grunt, she notices Jason clutching onto the covers to shield the daylight and, evidently, to avoid his partner, too. 

Whilst wiping her fingers on the duvet that’s on top of the mechanic’s head, Chloe watches everyone getting up. Shifting her attention back to her bed, the Londoner’s irks out a pout and creates innocent fists on her sides. As much as she enjoys having the brunet man as her partner, she is admittedly finding it nearly impossible to deal with him every damn morning. In fact, there have been days in which she doesn’t even bother with Dicky and it’s Gary who convinces his mate to roll out of bed.

Before the brunette woman can exhale another nagging at the slumbered man, she hears a distant voice coming from behind. Chloe twists her torso and spots a familiar tan woman calmly approaching with a friendly smile hugging her cheeks.

“Good morning, babes!” Priya greets, loud enough to make Dicky impatiently switch angles on the squeaky mattress, as a way to block the girls from disrupting his rest.

The estate agent’s curious attention lowers to the side and she hears a deep grouch huff out of the sleepy man’s teeth. This makes her ease out an amused giggle, with dark eyes coming back to watch Chloe lamenting a sigh and slumps her shoulders out of defeat.

“I really don’t know how you get your sleep having Dicky around,” Priya genuinely adds.

“Me neither,” the classy cellist tiredly shakes her head.

Just when the two glamorous women were about to shift topics, most likely about last night’s drama, the whiff of a masculine and expensive cologne trails nearby, as it’s evidently Lucas passing through the narrow hallway. It doesn’t take much for the Manchester woman to notice the inviting glimpses shared between her friend and the physiotherapist, causing a knowing grin to lengthen her lips.

Just when Priya is sure the Asian man is out of sight, she lets out a small squeal. “I see someone has an eye on Lucas,” she teases, lightly nudging Chloe’s arm.

Ever since Lucas’ arrival at the Villa, it’s been quite apparent that he’s after Chloe. Descriptively, he’s someone who doesn’t waste time chatting up a girl he really likes, even if it means to step on someone’s toes. And, though it’s truly flattering to know he’s a go-getter, the professional musician isn’t one to be comfortable with gravitating too much attention when it comes to a competition like this. With this in mind, Chloe tilts her head and sneers out in disbelief, hoping it’s enough to mask her embarrassment and, as always, remain with her calm composure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the hazel-eyed woman breathes out her words. 

“Don’t you?” Priya leans over and asks, lifting an incredulous eyebrow at the London girl, who’s already crossing her arms. “I don’t think I’ve seen him graft on any other girl other than you.”

For a moment, Chloe’s left in silence with dark lashes batting out her stumped bright eyes. Soon after, she waves an indifferent hand mid-air; it’s her method to diffuse the topic when she’d hate to add anything else for the girls to talk about later. “Oh, don’t be preposterous. We’re just chatting, is all,” the classy cellist casually states.

A loose chortle makes Priya’s shoulders shake. “Uh-huh, _‘just chatting’_ is what we’ll call it,” she air quotes and grins, as Chloe playfully rolls her eyes whilst fighting a smile from crossing her lips.

Then, Priya’s voice starts to fade when the musician’s golden gaze shifts to an empty bed ahead. Noticeably, there’s a quiet freckled girl sitting up with a mild slouch against the headboard; her tiredness and stress from last night weighing over her dainty frame. 

Watchful of Minni, she’s distracting herself by tracing the duvet’s threading, and it pains the older brunette to see her restrain a frown from shaping her lips. Her reserved cobalt eyes remain glued to the wrinkled sheets covering her legs, almost like if there’s no desire to seek anyone's attention. This only makes Chloe conclude how startling it must be to think that a boy who kept asking for reassurance would end up playing with someone’s feelings; truly something undeserving for the selfless young woman.

With Rocco in mind, the classical cellist is absolutely positive that he’s no longer an option for her Cambridge friend. After the humiliation, the constant lies and the heated argument between the two, it’s pretty apparent to say him and Minni are, thankfully, no longer a couple. But, one problem leads to another and this makes Chloe contemplate who the astrophysics student will decide to crack on next. After all, this is Love Island and people take drastic decisions to stay in the Villa. 

Ideally, it would be fantastic for Chloe to see Minerva with Dicky. Ever since he confessed his ongoing crush, the hazel-eyed woman can’t help but find it quite endearing and, might she add, cute at how shy the mechanic reacts whenever Minni directs even the most minimal attention towards him. Nonetheless, there’s still the possibility that the younger brunette might not reciprocate Jason’s feelings and, as disappointing as that may be, she’ll probably have to look elsewhere for a potential partner.

For a moment, Chloe narrows down the line of boys in the Villa for her younger friend until a sudden realisation struck over her: Minni’s first partner was none other than Gary. Although it feels like the first Recoupling was long ago, it technically hasn’t been too far off since the blue-eyed Islanders were last coupled up. Retracing to day one, their bond has always been present and, despite them no longer being together, the instrumentalist grows distressed to think she’s been developing something with Minerva’s potential backup plan. Or worse: she’s perhaps getting in the way of the former pair picking up where they had left off. Even if Chloe could be overthinking this, it doesn’t stop the guilt from sinking in her head and thinks how unreasonable she was to have kissed the crane operator last night.

Her conflictive thoughts scattering in her head, the hazel-eyed woman lowers her chin and tightens her full lips into an undignified frown. Just when she thinks that something special is blossoming between her and Gary, shame will continue to string along when she’s taking away Minerva’s chance to be with a lad who will certainly make an excellent partner. Still, Chloe is a woman with a fair heart and if the younger Islanders decide to try things out again, she’s willing to set herself aside for the sake of her friends' happiness; after all, they are the ones that mostly need it right now.

Thoughts come to an end as the cellist turns her head and feels Marisol approaching the small huddle of girls. Considering that she’s not quite welcomed, the law student’s dark brown eyes try to remain on Priya, who seems to be rather indifferent to her presence. However, when noticing how closed off Chloe’s body language gets upon her arrival, Marisol can’t help but meet her cold glare. Similar to last night at the lounge chairs, golden eyes silently intimidate the Spanish girl and she notices that she can only hold a brief glimpse before looking away.

“Has anyone seen Rocco?” Marisol generally asks with a frown shadowing her small mouth.

With no one answering the Portsmouth native, awkwardness circles around the small group of girls, with Priya blinking her dark eyes away from her surroundings and Chloe exhaling irritably after crossing her arms.

Then, the older brunette starts to think how ridiculous this woman is to even ask about Rocco’s existence, knowing well what she’s caused _and_ right in front of Minerva— it’s like Marisol is uncaring and inconsiderate of the others who have been affected by the situation. With this in thought, it’s taking all of Chloe’s willpower to bite her tongue and not mock out a reply. As much as she is an opinionated person, she is also a lady with manners and will not be feeding more into the drama. So, all she can do at this point is ignore Marisol and Rocco during her stay in the Villa and, instead, make sure that her blue-eyed friend is prioritised for her attention.

Soon enough, the girls notice Lottie approaching from a close distance and immediately stands with self-righteousness. The blonde woman must’ve been eavesdropping from her bed and carries a deep scowl across her face now that she faces the Spanish Islander.

“He’s probably shedding his skin,” the makeup artist speaks up, resentfully.

Marisol pauses for a moment, slightly confused as to why given the attitude when Lottie has nothing to do with Rocco. A short sigh travels out of her mouth and lands a small hand on her hip. “I don’t know what you’re getting so worked up about. He’s not even your man,” she replies, her tone of voice mildly defensive.

“He’s not yours either, in case you’ve forgotten,” Lottie snaps back, narrowing her green eyes into a glare.

Nowhere else to land her disapproving eyes, Chloe steals a glance at Priya and shakes her head whilst listening to the tattooed girl. As much as she doesn’t agree with Marisol’s actions, it’s no one’s place but Minni’s to come over and rant at the dark blonde. But even like that, the classy cellist is certain her younger friend wouldn’t do so, since she already went off on Rocco last night.

Assuming the silence between Priya and Chloe is a sign of support, when in reality they’re trying to not fuel more of the drama, the blonde Aussie straightens her back with confidence and doesn’t leave sight of Marisol.

“That girl doesn’t know what’s bad from good,” Lottie cocks her head to the side, now directing her attention towards the older women who remain observant. “For everyone’s sake, I’m looking to chase out the snakes,” the make-up artist spitefully concludes, a grim statement clearly aimed for Marisol’s ears.

Analysing each girl in front of her and how they stare at her with critical eyes makes the law student wonder how she’s suddenly become the villain of the Villa. From the beginning, Marisol remembers how clear she was with everyone about going for what she wants and refuses to think she’s betrayed anyone when she’s remained true to herself. Out of bitterness and embarrassment altogether, the Portsmouth woman grits her teeth and feels her cheeks fluster as anger continues to silently erupt her insides. A small hiss shoots between her angered lips before turning her heel and storming out of the communal bedroom.

The sight of Marisol’s petite body gradually disappearing from the hallway gives Gary the state of relief that he’s been looking for all morning. Now that he knows she isn’t nearby, he takes the opportunity to shift his muscular legs to his side of the bed and finally slides away from the warm covers, whereas he preferred to hide underneath them to avoid confronting her. Briefly running his fingers through his spiky blond hair as an attempt to ease his bedhead, the crane operator saunters his way towards the small huddle of girls and can’t seem to lift the visible frown hang on his pale lips.

“Is she gone?” Gary asks with caution, his deep voice heavy.

With an affirmative nod and concerned eyes, Chloe looks up at the brawny blond and notices his blank stare hovering at the ground whilst scratching the back of his neck. “It looks like it,” she replies with a closed but gentle smile gracing her high cheekbones.

Trusting of her answer, the blue-eyed man thankfully nods and exhales the stress through his nostrils. “Well, that was pretty intense...” he utters, yet still trying to process everything he’s gone through in a matter of a week.

It seems to be one bloody issue after another gradually stacking up on Gary’s tense shoulders. The bulky man knows the scandal has been caused by Rocco and Marisol, but he hates being stuck in the middle of it all. Coming back to the communal bedroom last night after sharing that smashing snog with Chloe and still having to share the bed with his partner, this only defined the true emptiness of their relationship; they’re utterly incompatible. In contrast with the connection he has with the gorgeous cellist, she’s everything he fancies in a woman, from the beauty inside and out, to her glamour and intelligence, even to the banter— Gary _knows_ the older brunette is exactly the type of girl his nan wants him to bring back home. With all this reflecting, it’s truly opened his eyes to realise that getting to know Chloe is the best decision he’s taken.

His blue eyes take a glance at Lottie, who’s standing beside the Londoner. It takes him a moment to realise the anxiety looming over his head as he remembers the kiss he had with the green-eyed girl. They’ve promised each other to never speak about it again and, so far, it seems like they’ve kept their end of the deal. Truthfully, it’s a topic Gary never wants to mention again. It’s already overwhelming to handle the drama with Marisol pieing him off; needless it is to add more and talk about what’s happened in that bathroom. Even so, he’s aware of the cameras that could’ve aired the kiss, making his jaw clench with frustration to have no control of this mess. 

“Think I need a cuppa,” the crane operator mutters to himself, hoping his favourite drink serves as a reliable source of comfort.

Instantly, a faint cough of attention is heard from Lottie, “Oh Gary, you wouldn’t make us a cup of tea, would you?” she asks, politely. Then, she uses a finger to casually play with her pastel pink hair as she pouts at the blond man. “I need to read my leaves to see what my lovesick future holds...”

Using a shrug to ease off his worry, the spiky-haired man nods in agreement and makes sure to crack a smile to keep his cool, especially with the girls around, “Alright, coming right up.” Before he decides to head towards the kitchen, Gary turns his attention over to Chloe and softens the same smile. “Chloe, you want anything?” he asks, intently.

“Hm?” Startled by his offer, the petite woman blinks her big honey-hued eyes at him as he waits for an answer. Still uncertain on what to say, she parts her lips to speak up, but a small pause hangs around her jaw. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to make me one,” she replies kindly to the gesture.

Although Gary stands in place, hoping she changes her mind and says yes, it seems like the musician isn’t as enthusiastic about his tea as she was when they had breakfast together. The crane operator can’t help but wonder why he feels a tad disappointed, until he realises that her sumptuous voice carries an abundance of formality. Chloe has always been a woman with etiquette, but looking at her body language becoming so rigid, it feels like she’s putting a bit of a barrier towards him— something that’s quite odd considering how close and personal she was with him last night at the fire pit.

Still, Gary makes sure to shake away all the rubbish assumptions and because he wants to prove himself wrong, he curls a cheeky smirk at her. “You know, I could use an extra hand makin’ those cuppas,'' he suggests, flirtatiously.

Seeing his wide frame subtly shift to her direction and electric ocean-coloured eyes never losing sight of her easily causes Chloe’s heart to palpitate with excitement. Despite how effective the blond man’s charms can be, the blossoming sensation washes down when the posh woman reminds herself to not reciprocate the feeling. It isn’t best to jump into conclusions, but something tells the hazel-eyed woman that Minerva won’t be wasting time cracking on Gary again. As her apprehensive inhale quivers in her lungs, the cellist’s petite figure stiffens at the view of pink socks shuffling across the floor as they make their way over to the group.

Without being intentionally dismissive, anxiety overcomes Chloe whereas she avoids the Chathamite’s small talk and focuses on a pair of cobalt eyes coming closer to the group. “Minni!” she ends up calling out.

Only having enough energy to lift a modest smile, Minni is certain this is enough to persuade the others that she’s feeling better today. After all that happened last night, it was expected of her usual insomnia to appear in full force and prevent her from falling asleep the entire night. Instead of getting some rest, the freckled girl couldn’t stop worrying about having embarrassed herself in front of thousands of people by letting Rocco play her. It’s unknown how she’s going to deal with that situation in the morning along with the unexpected spark she’s felt when staring at Dicky’s green-hazel eyes. She still has no idea what to do with either of those situations, less now that Chloe wants to join her, most likely to make sure she’s doing okay. Minerva sincerely doesn’t know how to approach her friend now that she’s sure she fancies her partner, and only hopes she gives her enough time to figure out how to tell her.

Skimming a glance at the rest of the Islanders and noticing how all curious eyes are now on the Cambridge student, Chloe absorbs the evident discomfort her friend is setting aside with a smile. Perhaps it’s working on the others, but when the braided brunette remains her compassionate amber eyes on Minerva, she can tell that everything about last night is still looming over the poor girl’s head. 

Without wasting time, she carefully lands a graceful hand on the blue-eyed girl’s shoulder as a sign of comfort. The cellist knows it’s not much and it won’t lift her spirits, but it’s at least a way to tell her that everything will eventually be okay.

“I hope you had a good night’s rest.” Chloe kindly comments. She only receives an appreciative nod from Minni, who is unnoticeably wanting to avoid any interaction with her friend until she figures out how to confess what happened last night.

Before the physics student can voice a proper reply, a humph sound tucks under Lottie’s tongue, focusing her view on the two dark-haired girls. “I’m sure anyone can get a good rest without having to wake up next to a player,” she remarks with a grimace expression twisting across her face when mentioning Rocco. Proud of putting Marisol in her place earlier, the make-up artist knows that she’ll have no hesitation to do the same to the curly-haired man when he’s encountered.

Finding Lottie’s comment dreadful when the objective is to make Minni feel better, Chloe tightens her lips into a displeased frown and throws the Melbourne woman a glare that easily tells her to keep quiet for once. Ever since they’ve awakened, she’s been slurring similar nicknames towards Rocco and Marisol and, though the older brunette agrees they’re snakey, it’s not appropriate to be stirring the pot like this. 

Retracing all focus back to the blue-eyed girl, Chloe’s face brightens wonderfully with a dimpled smile. “I reckon _you_ could go for one of Gary’s cuppas,” the cellist suggests to her younger friend, wholeheartedly.

Dark lashes flutter as Minni’s cobalt eyes gape at Chloe and Gary, who are patiently waiting for her response. “Um, yeah. A cup of tea would be nice,” the astrophysics student utters and relaxes a small smile. “With sugar, please. Four,” she adds.

A friendly grin stretches across Gary’s bearded cheeks and huffs out a chuckle to remember the atrocious amount of sugar the younger brunette puts in her tea. “Four _tablespoons_ , mate?” The crane operator jokingly asks to lighten up the mood, and pleasantly sees her confirm with a nod. “Right then, I’ll get started on those drinks,” he finishes, his deep voice quite upbeat.

Just before he turns around towards the kitchen’s direction, Gary insists to lock eyes with Chloe. He can’t seem to move away from this spot until he receives some sort of sign that everything’s okay between them. For a second, she looks up at the brawny man, granting the moment of attention he’s looking for. Their pupils gently tremble, but then disappointment quickly sinks in when she breaks eye contact and lands her reserved gaze down to her hands.

Looking under her curled lashes, the musician lifts her chin to see Gary’s wide back now facing her as he saunters his way through the threshold. There’s absolutely no way to drain the gutted sensation sitting at the pit of her stomach, especially when the bit of banter between the former younger couple reminds her how much they were really into each other. And now that they’re practically single, it makes sense if they get back together. 

With that being a foreseeable possibility, Chloe corners her strained eyes to the sight of her bed and notices Dicky lazily sitting up like he's just recovering from his sleep. Her mind races, knowing her partner well fancies Minni, and she begins to worry how he’d take it if his best mate goes back to the girl he continues to like.

Then, a silent but steady breath travels through Chloe’s mouth; it’s enough to keep her composure after the flood of overwhelming thoughts clouding her senses. Right now, what matters more is making sure she’s here for Minerva. And, even though Chloe may not be as emotionally intelligent as the astrophysics student, she’s prepared to not only hear her out but to keep this day bearable even with Rocco and Marisol’s presence still lurking around.

Taking the opportunity that Lottie and Priya have already left to get changed into their swimsuits, Chloe angles her head to the side and detects the rarity of silence shedding off her dark-haired friend. Normally, she wouldn’t think much about Minni’s odd behaviour; however, considering how immobilised the freckled girl’s small frame looks, heightens more concern when she’s usually quite an animated and chirpy girl.

“Come on, let’s have a quick chat and then with a good breakfast, I can guarantee you’ll feel _so much_ better,” Chloe says with an eager beam reaching her eyes as they sparkle at the mention of food.

Leaving no room to dispute the upcoming chat, blue eyes silently panic to watch Chloe’s figure heading towards the rooftop terrace’s stairs. The truth behind Minni’s quietness is not only an effort to hide her general low mood but also an attempt to avoid any interaction with the rest of the Islanders. Her mind rushes to find a way of telling the Londoner that she fancies none other than Dicky, her partner. Much to her demise, the cellist is such a great friend that she noticed there’s something off about the freckled girl and clearly wants to make sure she’s fine. Minni can’t bring herself to look into her caring eyes and tell her the truth, less without being prepared beforehand.

Not believing how bad her luck has been, Minerva tries to gulp the lump on her throat. If she could’ve just had a couple more minutes, she could’ve figured out how to break the news to Chloe in the nicest and less damaging way possible. But now that her friend is asking to chat with her, the physics student’s time to overthink what she’s going to say is running out. This sums up Minni’s inconvenient habit of not being able to say no when someone solicits something from her, inevitably forcing her to become a ball of nervousness as she reluctantly puts on a hoodie and then follows Chloe upstairs.

**A** **t** **the** **rooftop** **terrace** **-** **Mornin** **g.**

The first thing Minerva sees when she arrives at the rooftop terrace is her friend’s elegant figure sitting on the bench, patiently waiting for her. The steady way in which the cellist stares at her and her overall welcoming attitude would totally bring a sense of calmness for the blue-eyed girl if she wasn’t hiding such an important secret. The fact that Chloe has the best of intentions and asked for a chat to check on her only makes the physics student feel worse. She can’t avoid drowning in embarrassment for liking a partner that is not hers and, on top of that, confessing it to someone who already has a romantic connection with him.

Briefly connecting gazes with the Londoner, Minni rapidly looks at the floor and hides her slightly shaky hands under the long sleeves of her pink sweatshirt. Trying not to appear too shifty, she proceeds to take a seat at a moderate distance and gifts a crooked smile.

Amongst all the scenarios the Cambridge student expected to be in when confessing her crush on Dicky, she never imagined it to be this early and have the first person to know being none other than Chloe herself. The thought that she could potentially lose her friend because of her abrupt attraction towards the tall mechanic makes Minerva’s insides twist and it carries so much tension that she can’t help not knowing how to disguise it properly. She’s sure the elegant woman is not a judgemental person, less a resentful one, but anyone would get rubbed the wrong way if a friend suddenly develops a liking towards their partner.

Minni’s silence hasn’t worn off since she’s awakened and it’s become apparent for Chloe that her younger friend can’t seem to unravel yesterday’s events. Just by noticing how her fidgety fingers hide under baggy pink sleeves, the professional musician lifts her empathetic eyes and contemplates the approach to their chat.

“I reckon talking about Rocco is the last thing you want to deal with but I just want to make sure you’re doing fine. What happened last night was rough and he clearly has no respect for you,” the cellist pauses, her lavish voice hushing when brief flashbacks from yesterday’s evening brushes her memory. Then, she blinks her irked hazel eyes after remembering the argument between the astrophysics student and her partner. A small hiss of irritation heaves out of Chloe’s lungs and shakes her head, “You’ve really done nothing wrong to deserve this, Minni. And I swear on Beethoven’s grave that if he makes you feel any worse, I will be there for you,” she finishes, hoping her words of support are taken as a sign of encouragement. 

Even though Minni is aware that her friend is doing the best she can to lift her spirits, she’s too trapped in her thoughts to pay attention. It just takes Chloe a moment to eventually notice that the freckled girl has been looking down and fiddling with her sleeves this entire time, all the while she was giving her a pep talk. Puzzled on why Minerva, who is particularly known for paying special attention to people, has been zoning out for a considerable amount of time, the musician blinks out her confusion. Then, she makes her silence last a bit longer, questioning if she’s said something wrong.

“What’s happened, hun?” Chloe tentatively asks, attempting to meet the young girl’s gaze. 

Despite the reassuring demeanour of the older woman, the Cantabrigian’s stomach is still knotted in a ball of nerves. Before she can give herself more time to second guess, she decides it’s best to break the news. “Chloe, I have to tell you something,” Minni quickly spills, finally meeting eyes with the posh woman.

With a reassuring nod, the Londoner leans forward to hear her out. After all, the objective is to be Minerva’s support and thankful she is to see that the blue-eyed girl is comfortable enough to vent. “You know you can tell me anything,” Chloe gently replies with a small smile. Next, her slender hand reaches out for Minni’s cool fingers and gives her a light squeeze as a sign of motivation. 

Feeling a bit more relaxed because of her friend’s words, the freckled girl takes a deep breath. She hates to think that the revelation could change Chloe’s perception of her or that it could harm their friendship, but she also knows that it’s best to tell her the truth, and spare the awful moment of finding this out in another situation, like a challenge, for example. Considering this, Minni chooses to break the information into small pieces instead of blurting everything out like she was about to.

“Alright, I…” the younger brunette deeply inhales to keep herself together. Although she’s not quite able to look directly at Chloe, she perceives that the braided woman is listening carefully to what she’s about to say. “Last night, after Rocco and I ended our discussion, I went to the daybeds because I needed time for myself, you know. I was alone for a while until Dicky came over,” Minerva begins, trying to maintain her speech slow.

Trying not to appear too worried about what he might’ve said to the physics student, the elegant musician lowers her dark eyebrows; she only prays that Jason kept his sarcastic comments to himself for once. “Did he talk to you?” she breathes out her words.

Minni assuredly nods as her first response. “He did. At first, I thought he was going to poke fun at me for not noticing Rocco’s game sooner or something similar— you know how Dicky gets sometimes,” the cobalt-eyed girl utters, timidly. Then, she lowers her head, certainly wanting to disappear inside her hoodie because of how difficult this is for her.

The older brunette roughly exhales with pleading hazel eyes. “Please don’t tell me he did exactly that,” Chloe sternly says.

“No, no. He was…” Minerva is quick to reply, and has to interrupt herself in order to swallow the words of appreciation that are sitting at the tip of her tongue. She never imagined that the first adjective that could come to mind when describing Jason’s actions could be _sweet_. She has only good things to say about him for the moment, and is aware that airing them out of the blue could cause lots of confusion. “He was very understanding, actually. He told me I did well by stepping up for myself and made me feel much better. He even gave me a hug,” the younger woman tells her friend, the volume of her voice lowering progressively as she becomes more hesitant with each phrase.

Completely gobsmacked and impressed by Dicky’s gentle approach, it’s becoming more challenging to sit here and bottle up the excitement the classy cellist is feeling. She knows how closed-off the brunet man is, especially when it comes to physical affection but to hear that he’s hugged her and took his time to be with her during a stressful moment only proves to Chloe how much he really cares about Minni’s well-being. 

Fighting her instinct to stay quiet and to avoid anything that could lead to potential conflict, the physics student bites the inside of her cheek and looks down. She feels Chloe’s thoughtful golden eyes on her, certainly waiting for her to continue her story. Even though there’s absolutely no pressure coming from her older friend, Minni anticipates that this will be the hardest part to voice out.

“And during that chat… I might have felt _something_ ,” the blue-eyed girl murmurs, her freckled features slightly wrinkling to form a self-conscious wince.

At first, the elegant cellist is left confused by her wording. “What do you mean by ‘something’?” she inquires, observing that her younger friend seems to be utterly embarrassed by what’s been said.

“You know, _something_ ,” Minni sighs, dreadfully attempting to gesture with her hands as to not explain further. But, when noticing Chloe’s puzzled expression, she knows that she needs clarification. “Something… special,” the younger brunette ends up mumbling, shyness pulling her gaze downwards.

Astonished sunny-coloured orbs widen as dark lashes flutter to the news. For a moment, Chloe thinks she might’ve misinterpreted Minni’s wording but even with the timidness, her cobalt eyes can’t disguise the impact the mechanic’s left on her. Even though there’s a strong urge to blurt out that Dicky likes her back, the musician gulps the secret he’s asked her to keep to herself. Besides, she wouldn’t want to break the trust she’s built with Dicky; it wouldn’t be fair for him when he’s been respectful of her confidential feelings towards Gary. Before she can pronounce a word or allow a chuffed beam from crossing her cheeks, Minerva’s uneasy sight connects with Chloe’s, silently anticipating a fast-spoken apology to prevent her friend from getting livid before she can explain herself.

“But I completely understand that you two are coupled up and have a good thing going on, so I will never, ever act on it, especially because I don’t want to tread on your toes,” the astrophysics student instantly speaks so unbelievably fast that her words are barely distinguishable and leave no room for Chloe to stop her right away, less to reassure her that her feelings regarding her confession are far from resentfulness. “I promise I will be a good friend and keep my distant, and try to move on—”

“Minni—” Chloe utters but her distressed friend hasn’t stopped apologising, never aware when the older brunette has rested her poised hands over Minni’s forearms to catch her attention. She loosens a melodic chuckle realising the freckled girl is just coming to her senses and sucks in a quivering inhale once her rambling has ended. “Hey, _relax_. It’s quite alright,” the classical cellist affirms, generously. 

“I’m sorry, Chloe. I didn’t mean it to happen. Please don’t think badly about me,” Minerva naively implores in a quiet voice, her urged energy dimming just as her eyes get fixed on her lap once more. She already accepted that telling the elegant brunette her intention is not to graft Jason, but it doesn’t necessarily make the information easier to absorb. She can do nothing but apologise for finding herself liking Chloe’s partner when she happened to be rooting for the older couple merely two days ago.

The Londoner can’t help but lift a cheerful smile and straightens her back. “How can I think badly of you when I’m chuffed to bits?!” She happily exclaims. 

With her mind swirling with confusion, Minni’s only response for a moment is to blink; she didn’t expect this overly positive reaction. “Huh?” The freckled student manages to murmur after a while.

“Jason and I are just friends,” Chloe simply explains and tilts her head whilst observing the perplexity circling around the younger brunette’s pupils. 

“So you two…?” Minerva trails off, finding the concept rather hard to process, because in her head, Chloe and Dicky have been one of the Villa’s most solid couples since day one. Those two share so many qualities and work so well in paper that the possibility of them not being romantic never crossed the blue-eyed girl’s mind. Now that she knows the truth, she realises that she confused their trustworthy friendship with reserved gestures of affection. “So you two don’t fancy each other?” She completes her question, mostly to convince herself about what she’s just heard.

A thoughtful hum escapes Chloe’s plush lips and shakes her head, “Nope, not at all.” She confidently answers. Then, a brief shrug lifts on her shoulder as she speaks up. “He reminds me too much of myself, if I’m honest,” the cellist snickers after stating her truthful words. Shifting her honey-hued irises over to Minerva’s direction, she gives her an expectant grin. “But I must say that even though we’re only friends, Dicky’s a great guy. He’s quite fun to have around and will be there whenever you need him,” Chloe concludes. 

“He sounds like an amazing partner,” Minni sighs, her phrase being more directed to herself than towards Chloe. Just now that the Cantabrigian is not preoccupied about stepping on her friend’s toes, she allows herself to picture what being coupled up with Dicky could be like. But then, it dawns on her that the chances of Jason liking her back are very slim; something that brings her mood from a confused high to a bummed-out pessimism. “As much as I like him, I’m not quite sure if we would work well together, babes. To begin with, I’m totally not his type and he evidently doesn’t fancy me,” the younger woman worries and throws her head back in frustration.

Feeling bewildered towards the scepticism, Chloe’s inner eyebrows scrunch together and lingers her stare at Minni. Although the cellist believes they can work out as a couple, part of her understands why there’s doubt. It’s taken much effort from Chloe’s part to feel comfortable with the idea of pursuing someone like Gary— someone who’s never been her type and little to her surprise, the crane operator confessed his liking towards her. Because of this, there’s hope that the same thing can happen between Dicky and Minni if given the opportunity. 

Despite having the advantage of knowing their attraction is mutual, the sophisticated Islander grows curious to her friend’s answer. “Why are you so sure?” Chloe asks. 

“Because he often calls me names and jokes about my height,” Minerva purses her lips onto a thin line and stares down. Her blue eyes fixate on her hands out of pure embarrassment for liking someone that clearly has no interest in her. “The other day he put my cereal box up on the shelf so I wouldn’t be able to reach it and then laughed about it,” she adds, distressed by the realisation that Jason’s attitude probably shows that he only sees her as a friend, even if it’s just aimed as banter. Ultimately, she lifts her ashamed face to meet Chloe’s understanding gaze.

The instrumentalist would normally find this humorous but seeing how preoccupied Minerva gets makes her want to march up to Dicky and scold him for days. Ultimately, she finds the composure to not go on a rant about him when she’s trying to do the opposite and convince her freckled friend that he’s a great catch. Chloe then proceeds to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Jason, _tu es un imbécile_ ,” she mutters the French insult before returning her attention back to Minni. 

“Look, we’re technically still on our early days, hun. Plus, he’s really hard to read so we can’t sit here and say that he doesn’t like you,” the classy cellist takes a small pause, watchful of her reaction but the astrophysics student remains quiet. Giving it one last try, Chloe lightly pats Minni’s exposed knee and gifts her a light-hearted smile to end this in a positive note. “Don’t worry about him. You just need to get to know Jason better and let things happen naturally if he ends up fancying you,” she finishes, hoping her suggestion will serve well. 

Even though she’s feeling quite resigned already, Minerva nods and tries to keep her head up. She would love to receive more advice from Chloe, especially because she’s proven to be a reliable friend and always deals with things in a cautious and mature way; however, it seems like Dicky hasn’t told her anything about him fancying someone else. Considering how closed off the mechanic is, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out he’s kept it a total secret.

“You’re right, Chloe. I guess I shouldn’t rule it out just yet. Besides, anything can happen here, so we’ll see how it goes,” the freckled student proceeds to form an at-ease smile. After that, her small frame relaxes for the first time in hours and slumps her back on the bench. “Thank you for this chat, babes. I was bloody sure you two liked each other, so I was worried sick about stepping on your toes,” she confesses, sincerely.

“No need to thank me. I’m just happy to see that you’re doing better,” the London beauty lifts a friendly smile and relaxes her shoulders now that things are seemingly coming back to normal. 

With a comfortable silence resting between the two dark-haired women, Chloe remembers what she was over analysing this morning. Thankfully, her theory of the former blue-eyed couple getting back together seems to have debunked, which means the classical cellist has the green light to try things out with certain muscled blond. “Goodness, and here I was thinking you still fancied Gary,” she lets out a nervous laugh.

“Oh, don’t worry, you—” Minerva is quick to swat the air and answer in a reassuring manner, almost automatically, until her mind processes Chloe’s words correctly. Perplexed, she opens her eyes wide. “Wait, why though? Is there something wrong with him?”

It doesn’t take long for Chloe’s cheeks to blush when she’s close to revealing her liking for the cheeky Chatham lad. Whilst there’s an effort to normalise her attraction towards him, it’s not something she’s completely used to considering that this would be the second time she’s openly confessed fancying Gary. 

“Um well, you see...” The sumptuous woman begins, her voice dropping to a modest tone as she succinctly looks down at her striped pyjama shorts before continuing. “Gary and I have been getting to know each other and I dunno, I reckon we could perhaps make things work out if everything goes well,” Chloe lifts her bright eyes to meet with Minni’s stunned ones. 

“You and Gary? Are you serious?” The Cambridge student asks, incredulous.

Taking notice to, what seems to be, the disbelief travelling in Minerva’s shiny pupils, Chloe clenches her jaw and worries if her friend thinks they wouldn’t be a good match. She’s already aware of how odd it is to declare interest in a man who’s not her typical type, especially when it’s coming out of nowhere. But considering how genuine Minni is, if she tells Chloe that she isn’t sure about her and Gary being a couple, it will leave the elegant musician with a lot to think about. 

Cautious and perturbed on how to answer, the hazel-eyed girl can’t decide whether to shake her head or nod, “No— I mean, yes!” Chloe rests her manicured fingers on her forehead and groans at herself for providing mix signals. Then, she blinks over to catch a glimpse of Minni looking just as confused, making the Londoner sheepishly smile. “I want to think so, yes,” she bashfully declares. 

The moment her friend answers, Minerva’s face lights up in awe. “I can’t believe it!” She squeals and enthusiastically throws herself towards Chloe to squeeze her tight. The joyous hug is so brief that the older brunette doesn’t have time to react before Minni is already standing up out of excitement. She’s so happy that she can barely contain herself; her attitude almost resembling a content puppy. “Oh my days, how come I never noticed before? You guys would work so well together, and he’s such a funny lad that I just know he’ll make you the absolute happiest. You’re so lucky,” the younger woman begins speaking, cheerfully pacing around. “You know what? No, he’s the lucky one! Yes, he’s the lucky one and he better behave, or else his nan will hear about—”

Abruptly, the rooftop terrace’s door creaks open, causing the blue-eyed girl to stop on her tracks, and both brunettes unexpectedly encounter Bobby’s face popping in. As soon as he spots Minerva, a wide smile appears on his face.

“Minni! There you are,” the pastry chef exclaims. Then, he figures out that the two women might’ve been chatting in a secluded area of the Villa for a reason, “Oh, am I interrupting a girls’ chat?”

“We were actually—” the physics student begins to respond, but soon Chloe subtly makes a gesture for her to keep quiet. Clamping her mouth shut, Minni understands that her friend would rather maintain a lower profile in relation to her thing with Gary. Pretending she didn’t say anything, the freckled girl starts again, “Nope. We have just finished talking about… the Lunar gravitational map.”

“That sounds interesting,” Bobby replies, hesitant. In honest words, the Cantabrigian’s space talks are not his favourite, particularly because he doesn’t understand them appropriately, so he decides to switch the topic and directly say why he’s here for, “Anyway, I came here to steal you, Minni. We’re making an extra big special breakfast this morning!”

The thoughtfulness of her friend immediately makes Minerva smile; of course Bobby would try and cheer her up by inviting her to cook something delicious. “Sure thing,” the younger woman amiably walks towards him. Next, she turns around with excited eyes, her aura having completely changed from how discouraged she looked when she first woke up, “Let’s go, Chloe!”

“Sorry, but Chloe’s not invited,” the Scottish interrupts, making an abnormally authoritarian hand gesture to stop the cellist from standing up.

His response is so unexpected that it leaves the pair of women utterly confused. They exchange a puzzled look before their pretty features contort into frowns.

Chloe raises an eyebrow and offensively pouts at Bobby, “And why is that?” She questions, wondering why on Earth she’s being excluded for something she would absolutely enjoy. 

“Yeah, why?” Minni immediately follows, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

In a cheeky attitude, Bobby saunters towards his freckled friend and protectively places an arm around her shoulders. Inching her closer, he theatrically pretends to talk in a quiet voice, even though it’s purposely meant to be heard by Chloe as well. “Geez, Minerva, don’t let that tiny figure of hers fool you,” he says without losing sight of the Londoner. Menacingly, he squints his golden eyes at her and continues, “She eats as much as Dicky, especially while we’re cooking, and I won’t let my extra big special breakfast get devoured before I can even finish it.”

After hearing Bobby’s sorry excuse as to why he’s setting her aside from this ‘extra big special breakfast’ of his, Chloe sucks in an applaud gasp and tightly crosses her arms over her navy-coloured shirt. “Oh yeah, well just because you do those awful Gordon Ramsay impressions doesn’t make your food any better,” she’s quick to throw the insult back and, even though she enjoys Bobby’s cooking, she remains truthful about the iconic celebrity chef he loves to impersonate; it’s just straight-up terrible in her opinion. 

Bobby instantly scrunches his nose after hearing the posh woman’s smack talk and sees the amused grin curled on one end of her mouth. Directing one last threatening stare at her, he grabs Minerva’s sleeve and pulls her towards the exit. 

“I see how it is, then. Let’s go, Minni,” he firmly states, maintaining his intimidating act. Next, he is quick to push the younger girl out, so she doesn’t have the opportunity to interject in the banter. As his final act, Bobby peeks out from the doorway and gives the brunette musician one last glare. “I’m watching you, Chloe,” the pastry chef whispers, menacingly pointing two fingers at his eyes and then back at her. Not giving her time to respond, the door closes behind him with a subtle click.

**In the kitchen - Morning.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik_BQYbbZ5U)

The Villa’s outdoors kitchen is warm and the golden sunlight is illuminating Minni’s and Bobby’s freckled faces as they stand in front of the counter. Still in their pyjamas, the pair are finishing up on the special pastries Bobby is making, as a way to cheer up his best friend after yesterday’s debacle with her partner. Now, it seems like the blue-eyed girl’s mood is almost back to her cheeky and bubbly self.

Wearing her big pastel pink hoodie over her usual lingerie sleepwear and with her hair up in space buns, Minerva would look rather attractive if her face wasn’t contorted with concern at the view of Bobby chopping berries unbelievably fast. When the knife glides over the cutting board, the young woman instantly flinches and her friend simply laughs at her.

“Oh my days, slow down. You’re gonna chop your finger off,” Minni gasps, her eyes wide. Despite being worried, her eyes wrinkle as she tries to conceal an entertained smile.

“I probably would, if I had Gary’s motricity,” the Scottish cheekily points out, remembering that the bulky crane operator can’t even cut a slice of bread. Next, the Scotsman pokes at him jokingly with his elbow.

Giving him a puzzled look over the counter, the blond man stops pouring milk in the three mugs he’s just gotten out of the shelves. Before Bobby and Minerva arrived at the kitchen not long ago, he was completely alone and quietly preparing some blinding cuppas, all in an attempt to clear his mind and escape the drama. At first, he thought he wanted to remain unaccompanied in here or to escape towards the gym to have a distracting workout, but the truth is the pair of freckled friends have brought nothing but good banter and positive energy to the kitchen area.

“I don’t even know what that means, bruv,” Gary furrows his brow, having no clue of what that last word the pastry chef said could mean. Confused for a moment, the crane operator scratches his golden beard, “But I feel like you were picking on me,” he concludes out loud, still not knowing whether he should be offended or not.

Him being so clueless makes Minni involuntarily chuckle— after all the stress she’s been through during the last hours, she didn’t expect to have a laugh escape her this easily, and she has Gary and Bobby to thank for it. Asides from that, the main reason why the blue-eyed girl feels more like herself now is the fact that Chloe not only received well the news about her fancying Dicky, but also confessed that she has a thing for none other than Gary, something that makes the Cambridge student extremely happy. All things seem to be aligning again in the best way possible, so Minni can’t help but feel like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, which corresponded to all the emotions she’s accumulated since she got here; perhaps this was also having to deal with all of Rocco’s neediness towards her. Right now, she can slowly start to enjoy her time in the Villa once more and think of her next move.

Minutes pass as the kitchen remains in a comfortable silence, with Gary calmly working on his special cups of tea and Minerva helping Bobby prepare different sets of pastries. Once the first tray of delicacies is in the oven and the only thing left to do is colour the frosting, which is the blue-eyed girl’s job, the honey-eyed Scottish can’t avoid supervising to make sure she’s doing it properly. The instant he directs his sight towards her, a jokey grin forms in his face as he notices that she’s clumsily mixing the frosting and the food colouring together, using a spatula and holding the bowl with one arm. Still, he says nothing and continues working on some more breakfast items for everyone to eat.

It doesn’t take too long before Gary approaches Minni with a warm cuppa between his big hands. “A sweet cuppa for an even sweeter lady. Though you have no idea how much it pains me to put four tablespoons in there,” the blond man cheekily says, offering her the mug by the handle so she doesn’t burn herself.

When looking at her being animated and floating around the kitchen so early, the muscular man notices Minerva seems to be doing fine. He is glad to see his friend seemingly ready to leave behind the drama and forget about the heated discussion she had with Rocco yesterday, especially because Gary hates it when things get messy between the Islanders. Because of this, the crane operator offers the young woman an encouraging smile as she finishes stirring the frosting and puts the bowl aside. Then, she carefully takes the cuppa he’s just made for her.

Feeling comfortable in Gary's presence, Minerva returns the cheerful smile and joins him at the other side of the kitchen, proceeding to watch curiously as he finishes another two cups of tea. Although the outdoors area is filled with light air and there’s no signs of conflict whatsoever, she can’t ignore the fact that the blue-eyed man was played by Marisol almost the same way she was played by Rocco. Hesitantly, Minni stays quiet, unsure whether to ask him how he’s feeling or not. Despite this, it just takes her seconds to convince herself that there’s nothing wrong in asking since she could be giving him an opportunity to vent if he needs to.

“How are you feeling, Gary?” the brunette girl ends up asking, in the most subtle way she can think of. “I mean, because of Marisol.”

Gary can’t deny that being pied off by Marisol hurt his confidence. Moreover, if Dicky wasn’t around to watch over him, the crane operator would’ve probably spent most of his morning at the gym, but he’s aware that his mate would’ve yanked him out of there as soon as he stepped onto the lawn. In addition, the mechanic most likely would’ve added a pep talk and Gary sincerely wouldn’t want his friend having to lift his spirits every single time something unfortunate happens to him. He’s sure Jason doesn’t mind boosting his best friend’s confidence whenever he needs him too, but he doesn’t want it to become a habit either.

Contrary to what most people might think, being pied off is not what stresses out the muscular Chathamite the most. What’s making him feel rather uneasy is that, ever since Lucas and Henrik arrived, there've been more boys than girls in the Villa and as days pass by, he knows a Recoupling or another dumping is around the corner. This has him preoccupied not only for himself, because he will be gutted if he gets dumped before him and Chloe can get closer, but also for his best mate who hasn’t developed any romantic connection whatsoever. Despite these worries, Gary tries his best to push them towards the back of his mind and focus on the positive aspects of being in the show— perhaps if he ignores them enough, they will go away and everything will be alright for him and Dicky.

Locking eyes with Minerva as his brief mental turmoil dies down, the blond man finds it very kind of her to be asking about him. She has always proved to care deeply about others, and he doesn’t know why he didn’t predict a question like this eventually coming from her. He trusts her a lot and feels comfortable opening up to her, although he’s also a man of few words and doesn’t think it’s necessary to go in depth when it comes to this.

“Honestly, I’m not going to force things with her. It didn’t work out, so that’s it,” Gary replies, sincerely. “I’m moving on already, and it doesn’t make me feel as bad as I thought it would, you know. I’m proper ready to try things with someone else,” he continues, a goofy smile shaping his lips at the thought of developing a possible relationship with Chloe.

Right after hearing his words, Minni beams. “Ooh, you don’t even have to tell me who that _someone else_ is,” the brunette girl responds, cheeky. Following that, she gifts him an exaggerated light-hearted wink.

Appreciating her humour and a bit surprised that she seems to have an idea about what’s going on between him and Chloe, the spiky-haired man chuckles out loud. His chest puffs out and he’s ready to brag about being able to land such an amazing bird like the classy cellist when the blue-eyed girl adds something more.

“I’m so glad you’re fine,” she says, raw honesty making her smile gleam.

The emotion in this short phrase makes Gary realise that Minni thrives so much on seeing other people happy yet she hasn’t found a worthy partner for herself. In this moment, the crane operator wishes he could bring up Dicky into the conversation somehow, to subtly let her know he has the potential to be a good partner despite projecting a harsh character. Even after more than ten years of friendship, the younger Chathamite has never seen Jason behave the way he does when he’s around Minerva; something that convinces him further that those two could work out if she takes an interest in the mechanic. But that’s also currently uncertain, and Gary doesn’t even know if the physics student wants to get grafting straight away after being lied to by her partner.

Avoiding mentioning the Rocco drama at all and biting his tongue as to not mention Dicky, Gary decides to take another approach instead; the least he can do for now is make Minni feel appreciated and let her know he’s here to support her as well, even if it’s just on a friendship aspect.

“Come here,” the crane operator says, extending his muscular arms towards the freckled girl. “We deserve a good ol’ cuddle after all that’s happened.”

Without thinking it twice, Minerva gets closer and sinks onto Gary’s big frame, letting him squeeze her tight. Despite being such a bulky man, he’s soft and warm all over, and the way he hugs is so comforting that the physics student relaxes immediately. It never crosses her naïve mind the possibility that this could be interpreted as a flirty gesture, because it simply isn’t. The blue-eyed pair’s personalities are so genuine and naturally loving that plenty of their actions could be interpreted as such when, in reality, it’s mostly just a combination of an innate flirtatious attitude, instinctive friendliness and need of physical affection.

After a few seconds, they let go and take a couple of steps back. Calmly and feeling much better, Minni gifts the blond man another mellow smile and then cradles her cuppa between her hands again. She’s ready to go back to the other side of the kitchen to help Bobby, who’s stuffing some strudels with the berries he was cutting earlier, when an idea comes to her mind: Gary would surely know if Dicky, his best mate, has an eye on someone.

With the need of asking the crane operator trapped in her throat, Minerva fixes her cobalt irises in the steamy tea in front of her. She’s sure that the spiky-haired man will tell her if the mechanic likes someone at the moment, unless Jason happened to ask him not to tell anyone. In that case, the young woman would have to do her best to dissimulate why she formulated the question in the first place, as to not risk Gary telling Dicky about her crush on him when it could be not reciprocated— or she could ask for the blond man’s help to get his friend to take an interest in her.

Although most scenarios are beneficial for her, Minni still feels somewhat shy. “Hey, Gary, do you know if…?” the brunette girl begins to ask, her voice barely audible at the end of the sentence because of her indecision.

Just when Minerva gets the younger Chathamite’s attention and is about to continue, Lottie arrives at the outdoors kitchen in full storm. Her high heels thump against the deck, her steps poised and hands gesturing everywhere. She carries herself with such an accusing attitude that guarantees drama is following her.

“I still can’t believe Marisol and Rocco. It’s like they have no respect for boundaries,” the makeup artist complains, eyeing at the three people at the kitchen as she expects them to join her rant.

However, neither Gary, Minni or Bobby want to speak about the situation, since all of them feel highly uncomfortable when being surrounded by conflict. As the pastry chef remains silent and quickly shields himself with his habit of stress-baking, the blue-eyed girl simply avoids eye contact and hopes Lottie stops pushing the subject sooner or later. She understands that the blonde woman is voicing her bitterness in an attempt to make people accountable for their actions, but that doesn’t work well when both of the victims are just trying to let it pass.

Never losing his welcoming character, Gary comes over with two drinks in hand. “Here’s your cup of tea, Lottie,” he smiles.

“Thanks, I need this for my reading,” the tattooed girl sighs and lets herself fall on a stool. “This whole thing is exhausting.”

Looking at the three Islanders across the kitchen, Bobby finishes another tray of pastries and puts it in the oven as well. Then, the Scottish dismissively waves in the air, “It’s all just momentary drama. You’ll have forgotten about it next week.”

His insistence to let go of the conversation makes Lottie scoff. “You don’t know that, Bobby,” she rolls her eyes in exasperation. Next, as if she’s just sensed something, the pale makeup artist tilts her head around to look behind Minni. “Ugh, you can never be too careful when you’re letting your guard down,” she adds.

A skinny and tanned figure appears across the lawn, with it belonging to none other than Rocco. He has a tense smile on his face and his entire frame seems to be heavily stiff, so there’s no denying he’s quite nervous. As the Islander’s eyes get fixed on him whilst he gets closer, he can’t avoid exaggerating his friendly demeanour to try and ease the evident hostility directed at him.

“Hey guys,” the curly-haired man greets as soon as he steps onto the kitchen’s deck. Before anyone can react, Lottie sniffs violently and slides a few paces away from him, pulling Minni by the sleeve of her pink sweatshirt, in an attempt to get the blue-eyed girl to join her. “Everything alright, Lottie?” Rocco asks, pretending not knowing why he’s being met with such resentment. Instead of barking an answer like she always does, the tattooed woman remains still and only glares at him. “I take that as a no…” the tanned man murmurs, then.

“Can you hear that, people? That sounds like the lesser spotted male snake,” Lottie snarls, gripping the physics student’s sleeve a bit tighter before finally letting it go.

Amongst everyone’s silence and expectant expressions, Rocco merely shakes his head. “You’re just being ridiculous, Lottie. It wasn’t even you I came to talk to,” he states. Subsequently, the food truck owner turns to face his partner. “Minerva, could you spare me a second? I’d really like to talk to you about all of this. Let me make it right.”

Minni is not sure if it’s her natural fear of confrontation or the mistrust Rocco inspires in her after what he’s done, but either way her mind is immediately against the idea of having a private chat with him. All the comfort she felt in the last hour by being in the kitchen with her best friends slowly vanishes, leaving her absolutely discouraged. As much as she doesn’t want to talk to her partner, she knows that she can’t bring herself to decline. For some reason, deep inside she has the sensation that she can’t say no when people demand something from her.

“Um, sure, I guess…” the brunette girl mumbles, not wanting to look at anyone in particular.

Visibly pleased by having her accept his offer, Rocco nods and, maintaining the same forced smile, he signals her to go upstairs with him towards the roof terrace. He doesn’t lose time and saunters with determination, not noticing that Minni has stayed behind. When she’s not in an enraged state of mind caused by her bottled-up feelings, confrontation often paralyses her or instantly activates somewhat of a fight or flight response in her. For the moment, all Minerva wants to do is to get out of that situation, and feels worse knowing that she could’ve avoided it altogether if she could’ve brought herself to simply say no.

Perceiving a strange shift in the freckled girl’s facial expression, Gary’s first instinct is to want to snap her out of whatever she’s thinking of. He can’t identify why she looks so nervous by having to chat with Rocco, particularly because she demolished that lad’s arguments last night, but the crane operator wants to help her, nonetheless.

With a warm and honest smile, Gary tries to get her attention by reaching out to lightly tickle her over the pink sweatshirt, remembering how ticklish she’s in that area. This small gesture of his causes Minerva to direct her cobalt eyes to him, and even pulls an unexpected smile out of her. Right after offering an easy-going smile, the blond man speaks, “Liven up, mate. You got this.”

**At the swinging chair - Noon.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpOqLuYpERo)

After stuffing his face with a hearty breakfast and noticing the kitchen is getting slightly crowded, Dicky ambles his way towards the swinging chair to seek a bit of shade and quietness. From here, the view is quite privileged. He can see nearly every inch of the Villa’s lawn; his sight skims from the equipped gym to the bright shimmer of sun rays coating the pool. Just noticing how empty the place is, the mechanic takes the opportunity to stretch out his long legs over the grass and leans back to adjust a more comfortable position. Before getting too cosy, Dicky looks around to see no-one nearby and hovers his navy-blue cap mid-air, dropping it over his face so it blocks the daylight.

Enjoying the breezy sound rustling against the leaves, his chest muscles relax after releasing a deep sigh. With all of the drama that’s happened in the past couple of days, this must be the first time he’s felt a little relaxed and never realised how tense the nape of his neck felt. However, the silence doesn’t last very long after Jason’s ears pick up on quiet footsteps approaching his direction and feels a light weight now settling beside him.

Dicky maintains the cap shadowing over his face for a moment, and then speaks up. “I warned you not to put your hand on my side of the bed,” his stoic voice muffles.

Not knowing if he’s being a total arse or just poking at her for his own entertainment, he still manages to irk Chloe. A small pout forms in her plush lips, with her being aware that her partner is referencing the dry saliva she mistakenly touched this morning.

“Perhaps you should keep your mouth closed when—” The posh woman stops her incoming rant for a moment and slumps her shoulders when she notices he hasn’t lifted his hat to even look at her. “How did you know it was me?” Chloe asks with a scrunched nose. 

“Doughnuts,” the tall Chathamite simply responds.

After hearing his strangely accurate response, the classy cellist looks down at her lap and spots the plate of Bobby’s freshly baked doughnuts that she’s stolen from the kitchen counter while he was distracted. Not only is it the fragrance coming from the sweetened bread that’s the giveaway, but she’s also the only person, other than Dicky, who would carry a dozen of doughnuts around the lawn.

“Oh...” Chloe mutters, but quickly shakes off the tangent chat. She straightens her back as she sits with natural elegance. “Well, I’ve come here to offer you some. Reckon you’d fancy one... or ten,” the London girl half-jokingly says. She knows that Jason’s appetite is no laughing matter and that he could easily devour everything that’s on this platter.

At the mention of doughnuts, the silent man instantly slides the dark cap off his face and ogles his hazel stare at the pastries that are calling his name. Dicky is not one to _ever_ deny food and it would be rude of him to reject his friend’s kind gesture. But, just as he leans in and stretches his arm to grab a doughnut, he shifts his suspicious eyes again to Chloe and can’t help but think there’s something different about her. The longer he steadies his indifferent gaze at her, the easier it is for him to distinguish her odd demeanour. Though her tone of voice seems to remain relatively the same, there were instances when her vocals became quite cheery. Surely, no one would’ve noticed anything off, but the mechanic has shared the same bed with this woman for a week now and has become one of his closest mates in the Villa; he wants to believe that he can read her well by now.

Lifting a curious slit eyebrow, the brunet lad takes one doughnut without breaking eye contact, suspecting there’s something off. Then, he lowers his sight to analyse the food and takes a bite. Soon, he finds himself not being able to stop munching. “You alright?” Dicky cautiously asks after a moment, his voice muffled as he continues to stuff his mouth.

Caught off guard by the question, Chloe dangles a small frown and flutters her curled lashes as confusion wanders in her pupils. “Yeah? Why the question, if I may ask?”

“I dunno. You seem… chuffed,” the tall mechanic barely remarks, clearly distracted by licking the grains of sugar off his long fingertips.

There’s no way of hiding the gobsmacked expression wrinkling across the Juilliard alumna’s pretty features. This entire time, Chloe thought she was doing a pretty good job keeping her cool and remaining as nonchalant as possible, but she’s only sat here for a few minutes and Dicky’s managed to read her well. Of course, with Minni’s chat fresh in mind, the posh Londoner can’t help but relish the happiness knowing her two good friends mutually fancy each other. And sitting here with the grumpy Islander, it’s hard containing her excitement to carry such juicy knowledge. Nevertheless, Chloe is a fairly neutral person and, just like Dicky has asked her to not mention him liking her, she will respect the blue-eyed girl’s equal wishes. Besides, she’s up to a bit of fun in observing those two interact.

Not only is she chuffed for Jason and Minerva, but ever since last night, Chloe’s been distracted by the thought of the kiss she’s had with Gary. It’s all her silent heart can palpitate to and, though she’s certain how wrong she was to have ignored him this morning, the cellist wants to believe that her reasonings, at the time, were valid. Despite all of that, she remains hopeful of possibly trying things out with him. It would be a new journey in her life and, whilst it’s intimidating to step into such unexplored territory, it’s an adventure the hazel-eyed beauty is willing to bravely take. The thought of anticipating something special with the crane operator makes her skin levitate into divine goosebumps.

Although Chloe attempts to refrain a smile from becoming too obvious, she's unable to suppress it any longer. Her full lips lengthen into a dimpled beam, lifting her inner eyebrows to give Dicky a knowing look. “You _could_ say I’m a tad happy thanks to you,” she insinuates.

With bulged cheeks, Jason stops at mid-chew and darts his eyes to his current partner; his attention has been fully grasped. Feeling proper confused at what she’s said, the brunet man raises an eyebrow and slowly begins to munch on another doughnut as he silently stares at her. The Chathamite’s lashes flicker as he watches how Chloe shifts to get a better view of him. Quickly, he skims through the last couple of days and can’t think of anything he’s done that would result with her being this happy. 

Just by Dicky’s sceptical look scanning the brunette’s face, Chloe is certain he’s trying to find a clue and figure out what the upcoming topic will be about. As she’s gathering the news in her head, a short exhale slips between her teeth, with her being unable to control her giddiness. Quite frankly, it’s a sensation she hasn’t felt in a long time and, even though she’s aware of how dangerous it is to have this so quick, she plans on enjoying every second of it.

Chloe lightly bites her bottom lip to conceal the satisfaction showcasing across her smile and her slender fingers start fiddling with the end of her single braid. “Gary and I might’ve kissed last night,” she subtly leans in as she confesses.

“Wha—?” Dicky chokes, a piece of doughnut clogging his throat. The raven-haired man reckons this bird is trying to kill him with such a big declaration whilst he enjoys his snack.

If his memory serves him right, Gary confessed to him that he had his eye on Chloe just a couple of nights ago, so it blows his mind that his best mate managed to snog up the classy musician when Dicky knows she prefers to take things slow. For the mechanic, this can only mean one thing: she must really like the lad. As for Gary, Dicky isn’t surprised at how quickly he’s acted upon his feelings. The blond man has always been the type to be direct when it comes to liking a girl, and with more reason if he’s in a Villa with strong competition. Even if Dicky’s apathetic face may not show it, the mechanic is happy for his friends. As different as the pair may be, he’s positive their feelings for one another are genuine and he’s sure it’ll be refreshing to see them together.

“You two don’t waste time, do you?” the mechanic plainly teases. Then, he leans back on the cushioned seat and uses his thumb to smooth the ebony-coloured facial hair sitting beneath his bottom lip. An entertained smirk shadows his corners of his mouth when he realises his comment made Chloe’s cheeks flush out of embarrassment. Although the tall Chathamite finds all of this quite engaging, his lips eventually fall into a frown as he blurts out his doubt, “Wait, what does any of this have to do with me?”

As a first response, Chloe just corners her canary-hued irises towards the older Chathamite. She notices him folding his arms across his bare chest, waiting for her to respond. Next, she hovers her stare down to her wrist and uses her fingertips to distractingly observe the impressive detail carved on her golden bracelet; it’s clear she’s become rather hesitant about sharing her thoughts now. It’s known that the hazel-eyed Islanders aren’t the most emotionally expressive people in the Villa and, whilst this may come across as challenging for Chloe, she’s willing to put the effort.

“I’m not much of a risk taker— well particularly with my love life,” her voice softens and pauses to lift her chin, feeling comfortable to meet her gaze with Dicky’s. “So I’d like to thank you for being a good friend. If it wasn’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have given myself or Gary a chance,” the cellist upturns her full lips into a grateful smile.

At first, Jason is left quiet. With nothing in his mind to say, all he can do is give her a simple nod and allow her genuine words to float in the air. It’s almost rare for the grumpy mechanic to form friendships, especially with girls. Because of his sardonic humour and slightly intimidating exterior, many don’t tolerate his type of persona. Despite this, once in a while he encounters people who appreciate him, just like Chloe does. He’s delighted to know that she not only views him as a supportive mate but she’s comfortable enough to talk to him like this. 

Just as he’s thinking of this, he notices a mild wince scrunching across her face, as if she’s thinking of something not so pleasing.

“I’m just a little embarrassed, if I’m honest.” Chloe pauses when a sheepish smile twitches over her mouth. “He said I tasted like butter,” her voice rings with embarrassment. 

Dicky’s emerald-hazel eyes widen then, followed by an amused grin. He knows Gary well, so he’s aware that his mate is an odd lad, but he didn’t expect him to be _that_ blunt towards Chloe. Although his mate’s comments are never meant to hurt anyone, less so considering that he spills out what’s in mind without giving it a second thought, Dicky knows this has gotten the blue-eyed lad in trouble with other birds before. It’s actually something the Chatham boys have found as a common characteristic despite their opposing personalities.

Overall, Dicky is sure Chloe didn’t take offense because of how easy-going she is, but the comment has obviously settled onto her consciousness enough for her to bring it up. In this moment, all he wants to do is to slap Gary across the head for risking his chances with a bird yet again; whether it’s Love Island or back home, it’s been a constant failure to attain a woman in the crane operator’s life. Just now, Jason is seeing someone as special as Chloe being interested in that lad. Besides, she carries the perfect wit to flow with Gary’s humour, along with patience to keep the bearded blond in check. Plus, there’s no denying how exceptionally odd she is, considering her butter fascination for instance, so she seems to be the perfect fit for his best mate. 

With a simple blink of an eye, Dicky realises how much of a proper melt he’s being; he’s pairing up people and feeling hope when thinking about them eventually forming a relationship. Ready to shake off those thoughts, the dark-haired man tilts his head in Chloe’s direction. He concludes that mischievous banter is what he needs to bring him back to his senses.

“You _do_ know Goldilocks is allergic to butter, right?” The serious man throws her a knowing look, masking his staged concern.

That second feels like an eternity, and the Londoner’s heart paralyses to hear about Gary’s condition to the one thing she absolutely enjoys snacking on. But what’s generating chills of concern in her is that she could’ve possibly caused an allergic reaction whilst snogging him.

Chloe gulps her preoccupation and compresses her lips into a quivering frown. “What?” she quietly asks, her voice becoming heavy.

With a confident nod affirming what he’s said, Jason puts an effort to keep his neutral face when, in reality, there’s a heavy chuckle sitting at the tip of his tongue. Truthfully, he didn’t think his partner would actually fall for it, because she’s usually quick to catch onto his dry sarcasm, but looking at the genuine worry storming in her honey-coloured eyes, he decides to linger for a bit of entertainment. Plus, there’s no bloody way in hell he’s letting go of an opportunity to mess with the classical instrumentalist.

“Ever since he was a little lad,” Dicky states, sticking to the false statement. An exhalation winds through his lips, leaving his strong jaw hanging loose, completing the illusion of pure fright for Gary’s life. “Mate, you almost killed the bloke,” the mechanic mutters, concernedly.

Because of how unfiltered Dicky’s last words are, Chloe can’t deny they must be true. She wouldn’t even put it past Gary to be dumb enough and risk his own health, as to not make a big fuss about it, especially when having the French-Londoner around. Alas, she reckons an apology is rightfully due to the crane operator— at least until she finds the nerve to approach him and chat about the little mishap.

An aggravated groan airs out of Chloe, burying her face into her hands. “Good heavens, Jason. I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” the brunette faintly laments, her lavish voice muffling in her small palms.

“Me neither,” the mechanic casually replies, seeming as if it’s more of a self-reflection towards the unexpected prank he’s created.

As silence circles between the two, Dicky only hears the echoing voices of the other Islanders at the kitchen. The brunet lad takes an aloof-looking glimpse at Chloe and it’s clear that anxiousness is flashing at each blink of an eye, not being aware that her thumbs are patting the loose ends of her brown hair. At this point, Jason would love to tell her he’s just taking the piss, but suddenly a petite shadow hovering in front of the swinging chair magnetises his emerald-brown stare.

He spots Minerva holding what seems like a large textbook and pressing it against her chest as she hugs it. Her chocolate brown hair is loose as it falls down her shoulders, some wavy strands flowing with the slight morning breeze, and kind blue eyes are now moving to look at the pair like if she had just realised they are there. Although she seems a bit shyer and less animated than usual, Jason can’t help but notice her contagious bubbliness still present.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Minni is quick to say. Whereas she lifts a friendly smile for the hazel-eyed duo to hide her embarrassment, she wonders if she’s dropped by at a bad time, because it looks like they must’ve been chatting about something serious. Whatever it may be, the cobalt-eyed girl takes a step back, ready to depart the area and take her reading elsewhere. “I was just looking for a quiet place, but I guess I can hang around the daybeds,” she kindly offers.

After a not-so pleasant chat with Rocco, all the energy Minerva had by having been reassured by Chloe and being comforted by Gary was almost gone. This caused the blue-eyed girl to desperately need some alone time to collect her thoughts, since spending some private time in the dressing room getting ready for the day didn’t help much. 

Needless to say, the conversation with the curly-haired man wasn’t fantastic— he compared her to a hammock, but at least he managed to articulate a decent apology. As for Minni, being the non-conflictive person that she is, she accepted the apology even though she doesn’t think that what he did is justifiable. Following that, they both settled on letting said conflict pass because, at the end of the day, they still have to live in the same Villa. Overall, the best part of the encounter was that Rocco offered to keep sleeping on the sofa until there’s another Recoupling.

As looking upset is surely not something Minni feels comfortable with, less when surrounded by a bunch of people and being filmed for a television show, she’s currently making more effort to appear happier than she would make on the outside. And, because she’s not used to trying this hard, she feels out of her zone and kind of distracted— that is until she locks gazes with Jason. After yesterday, his presence brings a sense of security to the freckled girl, making her feel like she can be completely open to him about that side of her personality.

When Chloe takes immediate notice at the timid but engaging glances her friends steal from one another, she forgets what she and Dicky were talking about. Admittedly, it’s rather sweet to recognise how Dicky’s grumpiness slowly sheds when Minni is around and, now that she knows they fancy each other, Chloe can’t help but find each micro-expression they exchange rather heart-warming, especially when they’re oblivious of the mutual attraction.

For a moment, the cellist’s expectant eyes eagerly shift between the two whilst she awaits for one of them to initiate, at least, some sort of small talk, until she notices that her own presence is becoming a barrier. Because of this, the elegant Islander pushes herself off her seat and straightens her back, ready to take her exit.

“Nonsense! I was just about to leave,” Chloe blurts out and walks in Minerva’s direction just when the blue-eyed girl was turning to take her reading somewhere else.

Pausing at the command of the older woman’s voice, the freckled girl turns around. Confused, she flutters her long lashes whereas she’s rapidly guided towards the same cushioned seat where her friend was sitting. “B-but I, uh—” her silky voice stumbles upon words. She ends up clamping her mouth shut with defeat as soon as she feels Chloe’s warm hand gently but also bossily pushing her shoulder to sit down.

After that, the Londoner picks up her almost empty platter and prepares to go elsewhere. She doesn’t even manage to take a step when Dicky’s voice calls her immediately. “Wait— wait, Chloe,” he says in an unreadable voice tone.

Surprised, the cellist turns back and scans his expression. She doesn’t know what’s going through the Chathamite’s head until he rudely picks the last doughnut from Chloe's plate and nods at her, like if he’s telling her that she can leave now that he’s snatched the food he wanted. 

The classy cellist would’ve surely nagged him in the spot if she wasn’t trying to help him have some nice alone time with Minni. Therefore, after containing a frustrated sigh, Chloe takes a deep breath and glares at him briefly. Then, she’s quick to lean forward, making sure to get Jason’s attention before he’s able to bring the pastry towards his already open mouth.

“That’s so nice of you, Jason. You’ve gotten the last doughnut for Minni,” the posh woman states, making him stop mid-movement.

Trapped by Chloe’s sentence, Dicky stays quiet, still unperceptively aiming the doughnut towards his mouth. “Oi, I—” he's about to protest, but then exhales knowing that he’s obligated to give it to the blue-eyed student if he doesn’t want to tarnish her impression on him. It takes him a second to shake off how much it pains him to share this last piece of food once he’s already made up the idea of eating it. He guesses that deciding to be his rude self to the Londoner backfired badly this time. “Yeah, sure,” he grumbles, going back to his poker face and silently extending his hand towards Minni to offer the piece of pastry.

At first, he’s obviously discouraged from having to give away his food, but when he notices how Minerva’s eyes light up at the offering, he can’t describe the swirling feeling he gets in his gut. Unexpectedly, Jason finds himself wanting to offer more to her just to see that brief look on her freckled face again.

“Thanks, Dicky,” the astrophysics student says with a sweet voice, delicately grabbing the doughnut. The moment she takes a small bite, her features cheer up and the brunet man receives the most adorable smile he’s ever seen.

Chloe is subtly shocked to watch the grumpy mechanic’s demeanour soften all of the sudden— she surely didn’t expect to observe how his usual tough and apathetic stare shifts into _something else_ , into something soother. Needless to say, the French-Londoner wishes she could witness her friend subconsciously making a fool of himself, but she also feels like she’s definitely third wheeling now, so she reckons it’s best to leave so they have some alone time. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be,” the older brunette declares, and is quick to graciously start walking away.

Too timid to lock eyes with Minni right away, Dicky doesn’t move, his strict stare following Chloe as she disappears behind the Villa’s billowing curtains. Immediately after she’s gone, he turns his unreadable facial expression to meet the astrophysics student’s waiting gaze. It doesn't take much time for him to realise that this is their first time alone after what happened yesterday, which makes him feel heat creeping up his stubbled cheeks.

Not realising that Jason’s demeanour is caused by how shy he tends to get when he’s around her, Minerva interprets his avoiding eyes as him wanting to leave too, so she chooses to give him an easy exit to make things less awkward between them.

“You look like you wanna go to the kitchen to get more of these,” the blue-eyed girl says, friendly and pointing at the doughnut that’s sitting on her hand.

Quite puzzled, Dicky looks at her hand and then back at her face; he really doesn’t want to appear like he wants to go elsewhere. “No. I actually wanted to, um… spend a little more time with you, y’know,” he responds hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve some tension.

“Oh, really?” Minni asks, intently. A cheery and sincere smile draws her rosy freckled cheeks upwards, knowing it’s not easy for someone like Jason to admit that. Whilst attentively looking at him, the young woman sets her physics book aside and gives her doughnut another small bite, wondering where this is coming from. Jason is not being exactly closed off, less mean to her, but neither chatty like the brief moments when he’s felt completely comfortable with her.

In the instant the mechanic notices that he has Minerva’s full attention, he has no idea how to respond to her question. He proceeds to move the hand he had on the back of his neck to his dark facial hair and, after awkwardly using his large fingers to run over his prickly beard, he mumbles out the first thing that comes to mind, “Y-yeah. I mean… it’s not like we’ve done much together lately. Or… ever.”

It’s the way Minni blinks at him and remains quiet what makes him realise he’s not making much sense or explaining himself properly. _What are you even saying, you bloody idiot_? Dicky berates himself. He never thought it would be so difficult to get flirty when he truly likes someone; it was easier to talk to Minerva when he could shield himself behind the fact that, whatever he said or did, she was going to be unavailable for being coupled up with Rocco. Despite this, he can see that, after processing his words, the physics student is quite entertained by how weird he’s being, something that calms him down.

“That’s kinda true. With so many people here, we don’t tend to hang out as much,” the girl responds, nonchalantly. She’s definitely sensing an odd vibe coming from Jason, but she can’t pinpoint why he’s acting this way. If any, she thought _she_ would be the one to behave strangely around him after having felt a spark last night. Still, the freckled girl is finding it rather cute to see this unexpected side to such a mysterious man.

To prevent saying something stupid again, Dicky simply nods and lets out one of his usual grumbles, this time to indicate agreement. There’s a small silence he uses to collect himself and gather back his typical confidence, and when he looks at Minni again, he sees her rubbing her eyelids tiredly. It isn’t until that small gesture of hers that he remembers she looked less animated than usual when she first arrived at the swinging chair.

“Did you sleep alright last night?” the tall mechanic asks, his protective side inevitably showing.

Not having expected his question, Minni can’t avoid being surprised. She was sure that she was doing a great job to appear less tired when, in reality, her insomnia kept her up all night. It’s certainly not the first time she’s spent all night thinking things over and over again, and not even the first time it has happened to her whilst being in the Villa, so she thought she could keep it under wraps. Just like yesterday, Dicky being able to notice that she’s hiding something just by paying attention to small gestures proves further that he can not only read her well, but that he can also perceive things most people don’t.

“Oh, last night,” the blue-eyed girl starts responding right away, whereas she thinks of something to avoid the topic. Despite how skilful she is, nothing comes to mind and she can do nothing but to tell the truth. “Well, actually… I struggle with insomnia, so it’s usually difficult for me to fall asleep. It’s even more difficult when I’m stressed out,” she confesses, a bit ashamed. Rapidly, she forces herself to hide her conflicted expression and put a smile on her face. “It’s really useful for uni, though. I get papers done in no time,” she states, in an attempt to look at the bright side of the situation and widening her smile.

Although she’s not making a big deal out of it, Jason's firm expression softens with concern. Yet again, he surely didn’t expect someone like Minni to have these type of problems. Additionally and oddly enough, this is another trait that makes the two of them even more different to one another: Dicky’s sleeping habits could resemble a hibernating bear. The tall mechanic can fall asleep at any place, at any time, and he’s used to taking various naps during the day, or falling asleep constantly while watching movies. Inclusively, he often sleeps so well and so profoundly that it is hard for him to get out of bed, something all Islanders have witnessed already. He even uses sleeping as a coping mechanism when he wants to escape his problems for a moment— he slept like a log last night and Minni couldn’t even bat an eye.

Before he can answer, the brunette girl is quick to keep talking. “But don’t worry about that. I’m used to it,” she says, dismissing with her hand.

Because of the fact that he can read her like an open book, the Chathamite knows that she wouldn’t be comfortable if he chose to push the topic. So, after swallowing his preoccupation, Dicky nods and directs his eyes to the lawn, fixing them on the fancy pool.

Though Minni is relieved by Dicky not asking further questions, his silence makes her realise that she actually wants to open up to him. He has consistently shown that he cares about her wellbeing, something he usually doesn’t do with just anyone, and she thinks it’s fair of her to be honest about how that makes her feel. Jason deserves to know how much it meant for her to have his company last night, even if she’s not ready to go as far as to confess her crush on him yet or if she’s afraid that he could close off once he realises the chat is turning rather sentimental.

“Speaking of last night… I wanted to thank you for what you did,” the blue-eyed student begins. She’s surely not good at talking about situations when she’s had to deal with negative emotions, so she tries her best to conceal her shyness. “You know, for letting me cry on your shirt,” she continues with a light-hearted smirk, in an attempt to lighten up the mood. For a second, she feels herself trailing off and struggling with words, not knowing exactly how to continue, “You made me feel… you made me feel much better, Jason. Thank you.”

A small smile unavoidably appears on Dicky’s lips when hearing her sincere and soft-spoken words and soon his stomach swirls with contentment, like if it was a frequent reminder that he has a huge soft spot for Minerva. Speechless for a moment and perfectly knowing there’s no way he can stop feeling his heart flutter when she looks at him like this, Jason can’t hide how good it feels to have her saying that to him. As he looks into the Cantabrigian’s cobalt eyes, the brunet man is aware that he’s made it pretty evident how glad he is, but he stubbornly tries to play it cool.

“No need to thank me, bubble-gum,” he replies, lightly patting her shoulder in an attempt of not being awkward.

The short silence that comes after his words helps him reflect on the idea that, with Minni being someone who doesn’t know him too well, she probably didn’t expect to receive that type of comfort coming from the cold-hearted looking person Dicky appears to be. Now, he is sure the Cambridge student didn’t foreshadow him reassuring her in such a sensitive moment and, though he’s certainly dealt with this most of his life, he never thought he’d care so much about how a bird could perceive him. Contrary to what most people might think, the bad-humoured mechanic wants her to feel as safe as possible.

“You didn’t see that coming, huh?” the brunet man adds, in a quieter voice but being playful at the same time.

Even if Minerva has the impulse to lighten up the mood with an equally cheeky response, she knows that she has to be completely honest with Jason. She can’t help but let out a small sigh. “I thought you were going to make fun of me for crying, if I’m honest,” the astrophysics student answers in a timid whisper.

Not wanting to seem too shy about that thought, Minni rapidly avoids eye contact with Dicky as quickly as she stops talking, and decides to stare at the cover of her physics book instead. She’s not planning on looking at Jason anytime soon until she senses him shift in place, clearly an attempt to see her face better and just like he did last night.

Curious, the Chatham lad waits for her to feel more at ease, his hazel-green irises not leaving her freckled features for a couple of seconds. He understands why she must’ve gotten that impression of him— although the truth is that, even if he is always mocking people and pushing buttons, Jason is not the type to attack someone in their most vulnerable moments, especially because he knows how much it can affect one’s confidence and trust in others. He’s seen it happen first-hand when Gary got picked on at school, and Dicky doesn’t want to be like those blokes.

The mechanic’s features turn harsher when she briefly remembers those events, but then his whole face softens the moment Minerva chooses to look upwards and towards him. Hesitantly, her gaze connects with his as she’s visibly worried about having hurt his feelings with her confession.

“Not in a million years, Drăghici,” Jason breaks the silence, hoping that using her surname instead of a nickname or her actual name makes his reassurance sound less soppy. “I could make fun of you for a lot of reasons, but never for being upset like that,” he continues, his usual mocking character making a comeback.

At first, the blue-eyed girl’s plumped lips form an appeased smile, that falls down as soon as she hears his last sentence. “A lot of reasons, huh?” she asks, raising an eyebrow to fake outrage. Now that she got her feelings out in the open, she’s definitely ready to follow up their usual banter.

The air around the two of them surely feels lighter now that they dealt with the much-needed serious part of the conversation, and Dicky watches with satisfaction as Minni folds her arms in front of her chest and attempts to frown. He gets more entertained by knowing she likes this type of teasing, so he decides to play along. 

“Yeah,” the tall man replies, confidently. Next, he stretches his long legs and relaxedly places both of his hands on the back of his head. “Like your height, for example. Or the fact that you’re a geek-ass nerd,” he tells the young woman with a wolfish smirk, meanwhile pretending not to care about what he’s just said.

His words cause Minni to break into a short giggle until she reminds herself that she was actually pretending to be mad at him for making fun of her. She struggles for a brief moment to recompose herself, but then manages to put on a serious face and huff, something Dicky secretly finds adorable. “Why do you have to bully _me_ like that?” the blue-eyed girl ends up stating, looking away.

Jason simply shrugs, unbothered and evidently more comfortable than when they started their chat; he has gotten more used to the constant butterflies inside his stomach. “It’s fun, I reckon. Especially because of that pout you have when you get mad at me. Or when you mutter under your breath and look all cut—”

Quickly, the grumpy mechanic stops talking and clamps his mouth shut, hoping that Minerva didn’t pay attention to that particular last part of his answer. He's pretty much aware that, because he tends to say things without giving them much thought, he risks confessing stuff out loud without meaning to. Nevertheless, he didn’t expect for this to happen so soon with the younger brunette.

Even though Dicky was fast to shield himself with his usual poker face, the blue-eyed girl still gets an idea of what he was about to say— was he about to call her _cute_? Jason tends to be so unreadable that she’s not sure where this could come from, particularly because Minni has the sensation that he’s always been somewhat annoyed by her sugary and bubbly character, even if they get along well. Moreover, the freckled girl can’t imagine _him_ genuinely calling someone ‘cute’. Could this be a good sign for her? Or are these vague signals from Dicky just a product of her distracted imagination?

Now that Minni begins to think of how she’s going to approach Jason considering that she most definitely fancies him, she finds herself not knowing how to do it without scaring him away, specifically when he tends to close off as soon as he notices that he’s being vulnerable or cared for. Needless to say, she hasn’t felt like this for someone for such a long time, something that puts extra pressure on her because she really doesn’t want to mess up. Having Gary’s insight would’ve helped her a lot to feel less nervous, she reckons.

Suddenly, there’s a realisation that the only one stopping her from getting flirty with Dicky is herself and it strikes her like lightning. Minerva reminds herself that she should stop fearing scaring him away; if he’s _the one_ , he won’t go away once he sees that she truly likes him. And, if he does, the astrophysics student will have to accept that the man she has a strong crush on simply doesn’t see her in a romantic light and try her best to move on. However, when recalling his response to the conversation they’ve just had and noticing that not once he’s looked alarmed by the sentimentality of it, Minni concludes that, if anything, he’s just evidently tried to make _her_ comfortable. Perhaps, Jason is not as likely to distance himself if she shows how she feels about him.

A small spark of hope and excitement surges on the blue-eyed girl’s chest, just like when Chloe told her this morning that she and Dicky are not in a romantic relationship whatsoever. Because of this, the only plan that Minerva can come up with at the moment is being herself and expect the grumpy mechanic to like her just the way she is. Besides, with flirting being one of the young brunette’s many talents, she sees a more favourable future now— and if it doesn’t work, at least she’s going to have fun getting cheeky with this bad-tempered man.

After knowingly raising an eyebrow, the Cambridge student immediately locks eyes with Dicky. If she’s determined on making moves, she will put her grafting abilities in full display. Whilst keeping her blue irises on him, Minerva slowly takes another small bite of her doughnut, with intentions of bringing his attention to her pouty lips. Then, the young woman looks at him under her eyelashes. “Look all what, Emsworth?” she squints, playfully.

Staggered by the surprisingly flirty turn of the conversation, the infatuated Chathamite doesn’t know how to respond right away. His green eyes inevitably get fixed on Minni and he freezes for a moment. He can’t decide what’s more electrifying: to stare at her pink lips licking the coloured icing of the pastry or to encounter her big eyes giving him an attractive look once he directs his gaze upwards. That _look_ she’s directing towards him surely reminds him of that day in which they fake-flirted in the kitchen.

Although Jason almost loses his cool façade by the possibility of this young woman actually grafting him, his impulse urges him to put his walls up. Soon enough, Dicky realises that even if he could be interpreting this incorrectly or if Minerva could be doing this just for fun, he owes himself to take the risk and hope that something can come out of this. Wholeheartedly, he wants nothing more than to match her energy.

“I think you already got the idea, sugar,” he responds, without breaking eye contact and with his voice becoming lower and raspier. Still, as much as he’d like to keep the exact tone of their chat, Dicky is still a tease and thrives on pushing people’s buttons, so, right after speaking, he casually stretches out his long limbs and puts his baseball cap over his face once again, pretending to put an end to their conversation.

Feeling her insides slightly melt by the way in which the tall brunet looked at her, Minni’s freckled cheeks instantly flush with pink colour. Luckily for her, he misses this sign when he puts his cap over his eyes, therefore the young woman can take a couple of seconds to interiorise what’s just happened. Giving the hazel-eyed man’s response, she perceives that they could be on the same page after all, and this makes her want to get his attention back as soon as possible. However, he’s also decided to tease by pretending he’s not interested in their chat anymore, and Minerva isn’t giving him more than what he’s allowing himself to express; she, too, can equally tease if she truly commits to it.

“Right then,” the young brunette speaks, grabbing her physics book. With her peripheral vision, she can see Dicky slowly lifting his baseball cap away from his face to take a curious look at what she’s doing. Silently, he watches her calmly opening the book and searching for the page she wants to read.

“So… you just gonna study now?” Jason asks in a monotone voice tone to hide his hesitancy, after seconds of the blue-eyed girl practically pretending he’s not even there. He knows she’s probably messing with him, but he can’t avoid worrying just because he’s frequently quick on ruining his chances with birds by being rude to them.

Hearing the cautiousness in which the hazel-eyed man speaks yet seeing him pretend to be somewhat bored to avoid showing any emotion, Minerva has to bite the inside of her lip as to not let out a giggle— she didn’t expect him to flake with his teasing the moment she began to play the same game. This grumpy Chatham bloke is positively full of surprises, she reckons. “Yep. May I get comfortable?” the astrophysics student chooses to ask.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t y—?” the tall man starts saying. “Oh…”

Jason’s vocal chords tense after Minni’s next move, causing his interruption. What she meant with ‘getting comfortable’ was none other than to lie on her back across the swinging chair and to use his thighs as pillows, with an attitude so careless that he can’t quite process the situation for a moment. It takes him seconds of staring at the blue-eyed girl resting her head contentedly on his lap, her chocolate brown locks splayed across his pitch black swimming trunks and her kind expression looking right back at him, to snap out of the unforeseen trance he’s gotten into. Before he can do anything, the mechanic’s face turns slightly red and he gulps to get himself speaking again.

“Alright, I’ll just— um, I’ll…” he stutters, having no idea what to do with his hands or where to direct his eyes to. “I could… I— I’ll just stay here, I guess,” it’s the only coherent phrase he can come up with, whilst attempting to sound indifferent and maintain his bad boy image. After that, he ends up awkwardly patting her head.

Although Minerva didn’t know what to expect from this risky move, she never thought it would go this well. Undoubtedly, Dicky would’ve pushed her away as fast as he could if he didn’t like it, and not only he’s stumbling upon his words but he’s also staying in place. The freckled girl can’t help but corner a smirk, her heart thumping fast against her ribcage; the question she was about to ask Gary earlier this morning apparently answered itself after all, or at least part of it.

To mask how flustered she’s feeling, Minni uses one hand to hold her book in front of her eyes and the other to bring the last piece of doughnut towards her mouth and give it one last bite. From this angle, the noon’s sun hits her right in the face, making the pages of the book the only thing to shield her from the brightness. The younger brunette has been so caught into her own worries this morning that she forgot to bring her sunglasses from the dressing room. As a consequence of this, she can’t look up and towards Dicky without harshly squinting her unusually sensitive eyes— maybe she didn’t think this through properly.

In a teasy yet flirty situation like this, Minni typically would wait for Jason to start a conversation, but her friendly nature urges her to share something with him. Without a doubt, the physics student has lots of knowledge to brainstorm always at the tip of her tongue, something she can’t avoid spilling when she has an opportunity.

“Did you know that Earth is in a mostly stable orbit, which basically means it’s constantly falling towards the Sun and missing?” the young woman breaks the short silence.

Slowly, the perplexed mechanic lowers his green-hazel eyes to meet Minerva’s cobalt orbs, but instead all he sees is her sliding down her astrophysics book to try and look at him as she speaks. Her small hand clumsily covers her eyes from the sun peeking between the wooden roof of the swinging chair whilst she smiles at him, probably happy just by being able to get his uninterested character to pay attention to her straight away.

“Stable orbits, like Solar System’s planets rely on the angular momentum of the small orbiting body to not fall into the central mass, which is the Sun,” the brunette girl follows up, a warm feeling already settling on her freckled face for having Dicky looking at her like this, even though her own vision is partially impaired.

Despite sensing his heart rate dangerously increasing, Jason is capable of maintaining his poker face. He's begining to have the sensation that he’s shown too much of what he feels during this chat, even if it was all through small gestures and brief words. His reserved nature automatically drives him to need some distance and to put his walls up, leading him to believe for a second that he’s already done enough by reassuring her and making sure she’s doing alright. But, on the contrary, another part of him instinctively tells him that perhaps it’s time to do something more, to go further and onto a territory he’s never explored before, because he genuinely likes Minerva— he likes her _so much_ that he can picture few things that bring him as much excitement as it is to see her simply smiling at him.

Being true to his quiet personality and balancing off the two sides his mind is constantly shifting between, Dicky takes off his baseball cap and carefully puts it over Minni’s head, so the visor serves its purpose and shields her eyes from the intense sunlight. Next, the brunet Chathamite pretends that what he’s just done is not a big deal and speaks in a monotone voice. “Go ahead,” he simply says, seeming uninterested right until the freckled girl recovers her vision and is able to look at him properly again.

Jason can practically see the swirling feeling inside the physics student’s belly through her glimmering blue eyes as she adjusts the cap. After shaking off her bewilderment, she continues speaking about the topic she’s so passionate about, without losing that infectious enthusiasm that characterizes her. In the meantime, Dicky is sure that he’s doing a decent job to appear impassive but, little does he know, he has placed one hand on his own knee, his thumb subconsciously reaching out to trace small circles on Minerva’s bare shoulder.

**At the outdoor sofa - Noon.** [♬](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z74_Ffe2ts)

The pair of blonde Islanders walk away from the kitchen with their hot beverages carefully being held. It’s a short walk until they arrive at the empty white sofa near the pool and relax under the tree’s generous shade. Lottie swings a tattooed leg over her other knee to cross her pale legs and notices the brawny man carefully taking a seat so as to not spill his cuppa.

They remain with a tense silence as green and blue eyes observe how intimately close Marisol and Rocco walk beside one another. Although it’s impossible to hear what they’re chatting about, it’s most likely about their current situation. Gary looks away, seeming rather nonchalant about the whole thing as he resumes his focus on the drink. Even though he’s been doing well not making a fuss about being pied off, it’s still gravitating the wrong type of attention he’s been looking to avoid. Just at the mere sight of his Spanish partner earlier made him turn the other cheek and glue his eyes to the counter instead of awkwardly exchanging looks with her. Because of this, it led him to ask Lottie to have a chat as his way to escape the uncomfortable ambiance in the kitchen. 

Then, a disgusted scoff is heard from the make-up artist. “I reckon we’ll be seeing those two dumped from the Villa pretty soon. You’ll see,” Lottie resentfully says, a scowl deepening her dramatic features.

“Heh, right...” Gary mutters with a nervous breath scattering between his answer. His masculine fingers are drawn to his face and scratches his thick eyebrow, wishing she could drop the topic.

For some reason, the crane operator felt like it wasn’t a bad idea to pull Lottie for a chat; he was the one who offered it in the first place. But as he’s sitting with the Australian bird, he’s become reserved about poking into the subject — clearly contrasting how open he was with Chloe last night. And whilst he’s not able to figure out why he felt more comfortable talking to the hazel-eyed girl, it’s because she’s taken the time to focus on him rather than the actual drama like Lottie’s currently doing. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean they can’t have a decent conversation and get to know her a little better. With this in thought, Gary shifts his wide frame to face her and decides to adapt a more light-hearted mood. 

“So, you and Bobby getting along, eh?” With a keen grin outlining his bearded cheeks, the muscled Chathamite asks.

Lottie’s body frame relaxes and leans forward with interest towards the new topic. “He’s honestly the sweetest boy...” she half responds and pauses to bite her purple lip. As the blond man analyses her, he can tell there’s something else she wants to say but instead, she stares down at the sun’s reflection illuminating the colour of her tea.

Though it’s not the right time to reflect on her complex feelings, the beauty guru remembers Henrik’s blunt comments from earlier. He handily exposed her blurry relationship with Gary in front of the lot and though it caught her off guard, she starts wondering if this is perhaps a wakeup call. Ever since the first Recoupling, it’s been a constant battle for Lottie. Not only witnessing Hannah being dumped from the Villa but it’s also the physical attraction she’s developed ever since kissing Gary. Despite her anger targeting the same man who’s sent her best friend home, there was something about having him relatively close in the bathroom which made her go for the snog. And as much as the green-eyed woman wants to stick to Girl Code, she hasn’t been able to find anyone else who’s made her head turn like Gary. 

Next, the tatted woman sharply exhales through her pierced nose and glances at the spiky-haired man. “But I only see Bobby as a friend because I really fancy you, babes,” Lottie admits with a compressed pout shaping her mouth.

An immediate smirk tightly curls on one end of his mouth, finding a lot of pleasure after hearing the flattering compliment. He’s always had a hunch of being fancied by the blonde girl but being directly told like this, it provokes his muscular chest to inflate with the complete ego. Confidence swells his insides, making him feel like a wanted and acceptable bloke. Quite truthfully, being the prime focus really boosts his self-esteem and it’s something he’s always enjoyed from women. Whether it’s through a simple praise on his impressive biceps or his irresistible humour, Gary is naturally enraptured to the welcoming attention, even if his cockiness can get over his head. 

“Can’t blame you, mate. I _am_ pretty great,” Gary half-jokingly replies. Unable to restrain his proudful smirk from extending more, he lingers a cheeky look at the woman with pastel pink hair. “I’m quite lucky to have a well fit bird like you fancy me, I reckon,” the blond finishes, his deep baritone voice vibrating in a flirtatious nature.

Although the Chathamite never provided Lottie with a clear response, when she was looking forward to hearing him fancying her back, she remains satisfied after seeing how proper chuffed he gets to hear about her confession. Because of this, the Aussie woman observes how bold his sky-blue eyes remain on her and recalls his flirty response swimming proactively under his tongue— surely, it’s his way to declare that the feeling is mutual.

Taking advantage of their momentary silence, she scoots her figure closer to Gary and peeks her wandering eyes down his lap as he loosely holds an empty mug. Impressively but to no surprise, he’s already finished his cuppa whilst hers is still being worked on. Then, a slight squint of enthusiasm circles within her pupils and dark purple lips grin to an idea she’s just thought of.

“You know, I _was_ going to ready my tea leaves first, but I bet yours are far more interesting,” the makeup artist suggests as she extends her hand out for the ceramic cup.

Unsureness knotting up his eyebrows, Gary scratches the back of his head until he vaguely nods. “Uh, sure,” he obliges with muttered words and weighs the mug on her palms.

He doesn’t really get the whole spiritual thing she raves about and could honestly care less about it, but she was already demanding the empty drinkware, leaving no room to decline. The Kent native casually shrugs his muscled shoulders and leans his wide back against the colourful sofa’s cushions, blinking his uninterested eyes to Lottie’s side.

Without wasting time, she starts working on the mug and carefully tilts it to angle the damp green herbs’ arrangement. Giving it one last swing to the left, she lowers her chin to take a good look at what there is to tell regarding Gary’s future. Completely concentrated with her tea-leave reading, a small hum rattles in Lottie’s chest and thoroughly scans the unique shapes neatly uniformed inside the mug.

“Hmm, so there’s an anchor, an arrow, and a swan...” the green-eyed woman strings a quieter voice, still trying to figure out what this all means for the handsome blond.

Just seconds ago, the crane operator was barely paying attention at the dramatic motions Lottie was conducting to his favourite mug but now, he finds himself raising a thick eyebrow after attentively listening to the random symbols. At this point, Gary still hasn’t made the effort to push himself off the comfortable cushions but nonetheless, his ears have perked with curiosity; he reckons this serves as a good enough distraction from the terrible drama that’s been roaming around.

“Well,” the cosmetic artist cheerfully starts and presses her lips into a delighted grin as she flicks her wavy hair over her shoulder. “We have some good news for once. Looks like you’ll be coupling up with someone you’re very close with,” Lottie firmly declares as she bats her eyelashes, hoping her insinuation lands perfectly for the younger man to understand that this person is most likely herself.

Then, a vexed groan whines out his throat and tsks his tongue as he folds his thick arms over his chest. “Mate, I’m not coupling up with Dicky. I love the bloke but not like that,” Gary’s rugged face twists into a displeased wince.

Typically, she’d giggle at his naïve humour but at the brief mention of Dicky, she can’t help but roll her eyes. All that grumpy man has ever done is be exceptionally rude and eat inconsiderate amounts of food, leaving everyone practically starving to death. She can’t lie to herself; the mechanic isn’t bad looking at all. When the Melbourne Islander first walked out the lawn and skimmed through the line of fit boys, she was utterly captivated by his bad-boy looks and even considered picking him on day one. But because she’s all about Girl Code, even though Chloe doesn’t believe in it, Lottie wanted to prove to the classical cellist that being a girl’s girl is effective— that and Dicky’s crabby mouth ruined his charming physique. To this day, it’s shocking to know someone as friendly as Gary is close mates with Jason.

“I’m talking about a recent connection,” Lottie sternly clarifies, suppressing the annoyance that’s stacking under her skin due to the tangent of their conversation.

“Oh...” Gary slumps his shoulders and adjusts his black frames from sliding down the bridge of his nose.

For something he initially wasn’t interested in, the blue-eyed lad recognises the effort he’s putting to decoding this. Truthfully, he’s still not grasping any faith in the tea-reading but more so, he’s trying to think ahead when it comes to staying in Love Island. Now that he surely knows Lottie fancies him, there’s a probability in which he could remain safe in a couple. But then, the thought of choosing Chloe as his new partner sparks a tingle of happiness and it makes his heartbeat pound harder than ever. Even if she’s awakened with a distant behaviour this morning, he still wants to believe they have a special connection. With last night’s memory paging through Gary’s mind, it forms a dreamy smile on his face when remembering how her amber eyes glimmered only for him. And to imagine waking up every morning to her radiance takes his breath away.

“I reckon me and Chloe could have something good going on,” the crane operator blurts out with a hopeful beam creasing his cheekbones.

Left with no time to register his answer, Lottie’s facial expression visibly hardens as her jaw drops. Waves of unshakeable shock numbs her skin, confident that her name would’ve fallen off Gary’s lips but instead, it’s the stuck-up cellist who’s been brought up.

“Chloe?!” The tall blonde exclaims with disbelief.

Feeling bothered and totally surprised, the make-up artist starts picking on the bracelets surrounding her wrist and sulks. It’s unfathomable to know the only boy she really likes wants to couple up with is interested in not just any girl, but Chloe Manseau. Of course, there’s no denying the elegant brunette is absolutely stunning and Lottie always knew that woman was going to be some major competition. But then, she starts to recall that this is Dicky’s partner they’re talking about and whilst Gary is quite the cheeky lad, he’s certainly not the type to mess with a close mate’s bird. Besides, there’s never really been an upfront moment in which he’s shown signs of attraction towards the hazel-eyed girl other than friendly interactions.

Her shoulders remain tense but manages to make more sense of the blond’s unexpected comment. She wonders if he thinks he’ll end up in a platonic Recoupling which would explain as to why Chloe was mentioned in the first place. Lottie stifles a chuckle and adds self-persuasion to her narrative. Ultimately, there’s a bit of amusement to think those two would actually be interested in one another when it’s so apparent they come from two extremely different worlds.

“But with someone romantically, is what I meant,” she induces, lifting her eyebrows expectantly at the Chathamite. 

With parted lips, the corners of his mouth hang a small frown. “Yeah, me too,” Gary softens his reply, puzzled.

Too gobsmacked to find truth to any of this, a stressful sigh huffs out of Lottie as her mind races with mixed emotions and many questions. Considering that Dicky is Chloe’s partner and Gary being his best mate, she grows a tad curious on what his stance is on all of this. He’s been with the musician from the beginning and if she gets her head turned, the grouchy mechanic will thankfully be counting his last days here. Nonetheless, the Aussie Islander wouldn’t be surprised if the raven-haired man is sent home when he’s not compatible with anyone here, let alone with that sardonic attitude of his. And as far as Gary, how out of line and imaginative he really is, she thinks. Carrying such wishful thinking will get him nowhere in Love Island, especially when Lucas has been working exceptionally hard grafting on the graceful brunette and from what the girls have talked about, it seems like it’s been working.

“Listen Gary, me and the girls have been noticing some chemistry between Lucas and Chloe ever since he’s come into the Villa and I dunno...” Lottie nods to one direction, signalling the prime example of what she’s talking about. “Seems like they’re really into each other,” she finishes with a shrug.

Gliding his sky-blue eyes over to where the make-up artist is referring to, he witnesses the older Islanders strolling over to the other end of the bright pool. They settle themselves, submerging their legs in the depths of the cool water. Even if it’s from afar, the bearded blond recognises that their chat can be described as intimate by the way they’re intently listening to their exchange of phrases. He’s completely aware that Chloe is fair game and Lucas isn’t giving up without a good competition. Still, the spiky-haired lad wants to believe he has somewhat of an advantage as they’ve been getting to know each other since day one. And whilst the kiss is also a huge plus to their developing relationship, Gary knows that can’t guarantee anything with the glamorous Londoner. At this point, he’s fighting any doubt from spreading in his head but realising how well she seems to be getting along with the Oxfordite and recognising the little to no interest she’s given to him today, it all seems to come down to a daunting conclusion. 

“I know things are basically done between you and Marisol, Bobby and I are just friends...” Lottie trails her words. She notices his eyes flickering back to their surroundings, quietly listening to what else she has to say and continues. “And then there’s also that kiss we had—” The Australian woman clamps her mouth shut and widens her eyes after Gary shushes her mid-sentence. 

“Not so loud, Lozza,” the crane operator sharply whispers. He turns his head at all angles to make sure no one’s heard anything and releases a sigh of relief before returning his attention back to the blonde bird. “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t mention it again. There’s already enough drama going around, and I doubt we can afford more of it,” he discreetly irks out, shaking his head.

Recalling the night when her red-headed friend got dumped, it’s difficult to gulp the guilt of betraying Girl Code by not only snogging up the boy Hannah really fancied but wanting more than just that peck of lips from Gary. Not a minute goes by when her consciousness eats her up and thinks how much of an awful person she is to be this disloyal. But, after hearing him declare a romantic pursuit towards Chloe, Lottie can’t help but see her as a _threat_. Despite the number of times the classical cellist has described her type as tall, dark, and handsome, the blonde woman starts to taste bitterness in her clenched mouth to imagine losing the opportunity of coupling up with the muscled Kent native. Now, she reckons is the time to put all of her eggs in Gary’s basket before anyone else does.

Next, Lottie angles her view and distinguishes the absence in his stare lingering on the dock like if he’s shadowed with conflict. “It’s just that you’re the only boy I really fancy.” Lottie confesses with a frown and meets her green gaze with his.

In a complete state of loss and turmoil, Gary’s face falls. As much as he wishes to couple up with Chloe, it wouldn’t be fair to deny Lottie when she’s directly proclaimed how much she fancies him. Whilst with the classy brunette, he’s just realised that she never stated if she does fancy him or not. Despite them sharing that wonderful kiss last night, his overthinking interferes all senses and speculates if she’s done that out of sympathy because of what’s happened with Marisol. Devastated to think this, the blond man runs the back of his strong fingers over his golden facial hair and slowly inhales a broken breath. Typically, he’s not one to put much meaning with kissing other than two people finding each other attractive, but after last night’s experience with Chloe, he can’t help but acknowledge this zap of ecstasy that electrified him. But then, disappointment tugs heavily run down his sensitive stomach to think the London girl perhaps didn’t feel the same sensation as him.

All of a sudden, a loud chime bursts out of a nearby phone and paralyses the pair. Lottie lowers her chin to view her phone beside her bare thigh and spots a message waiting to be read. With a swift motion, her tattooed fingers grip onto the phone and taps it to open up the tempting notification.

“I’ve got a text!” Lottie yells loud enough for everyone to hear. Her peripheral vision catches a glimpse of some of the boys and girls making their way over, instantly huddling around for the announcement.

<Islanders, this afternoon the boys will be performing in a Talent Contest. The girls will choose which boy’s act impresses them the most. #islandersgottalent #mrloveisland.>

Along with the rest of the boys, Gary groans at the idea of competing for a bloody pageant. Normally, he’s up for little competition but his head is too preoccupied with other issues he’s having to deal with.

Reluctantly, he hops off the white sofa to join the rest of the group, left with no choice but to bury his worries for now. Straightening his back, blue eyes focus on the group of attractive women and plasters a confident smirk. “Hmph, I reckon you girls will be begging for an encore when I come out,” the brawny man thunders his voice.

A melody of giggles circle between the women and Dicky pushes the younger lad’s shoulder in a joking manner, guiding him towards the inside of the Villa. Lightly patting Gary’s back, a chuckle accompanies between the brunet’s words, “We’re supposed to save the embarrassment for the competition, bruv.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we hope you guys liked this chapter and make sure to stay tuned for part 2, so you can find out what happens next :o again, thanks for all the support and enthusiasm this project has gotten, we appreaciate it a lot! we love hearing from you and reading you guys' comments, so definitely let us know your thoughts down below :D see you next chapter✿✼:*ﾟ  
> -cassiahalley


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